U.  S.   DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS-BULLETIN  NO.  153. 

A.    C.    TRUE,    D 


PROCEEDINGS 


EIGHTEENTH  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 


ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES  AND 


DES  MOINES.  IOWA.  NOVEMBER  1-3, 1904, 


EDITED    BY 

A.  C.  TRUE  and  W.  H.  BEAL,  for  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 

AND 

H.  C.  WHITE,  for  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Association. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
19  0  5. 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES. 


Ai  lbama — Auburn:  Charles C.  Tbach.a 
Normal:  Win.  1 1.  Councill."  Tuske- 
gee:  Booker  T.  Washington. & 

Arizona  Tucson:  Kendrick  C.  Bal>- 
eock." 

Arkansas  -FayettevUte:  Henry  s. 
Hartzog." 

California — Berkeley:  Benjamin  [de 
Wheeler." 

Colorado  Fort  Collins:  Barton  <  >. 
Aylesworth." 

CONNECTICUT — Stons:     R.      W.      Stini- 

SOII." 

DELAWARE     X acinic:  Geo.    A.    Harter." 

Dover:  W.  C.  Jason." 
Florida — Lake  City:   Andrew   siedd." 

Tallahassee:  Nathan  B.  Young." 
Georgia— Athens:  II.  C.  White."     Col- 
lege: R.  R.  Wright." 
Idaho — Moscow:  J.  A.  MacLean." 
Illinois — Urbaria:  E.  J.  James." 
Indiana — Lafayette:     Winthrop     Ells- 
worth Stone." 
Iowa — Ames:  Albert  Boynton  Storms." 
Kansas — Manhattan:  Ernest  II.  Nicb- 
ols." 

Kentucky — Leicington:  J.  K.  Patter- 
son.0 Frankfort:  James  S.  Hatha- 
way. " 

Louisiana — Baton  Rouge:  Thos.  JD. 
Boyd."     New  Orleans:  II.  A.  Hill. a 

Maine — Orono:  George  Emery  Fel- 
lows.0 

Maryland — College  Park:  It.  W.  Sil- 
vester.0 Princess  Anne:  Frank 
Trigg> 

Massachusetts — Amherst:  Henry  H. 
Goodell.° 

Michigan — Agricultural  College:  J.  L. 
Snyder." 

Minnesota  —  St.  Anthony  Park,  St. 
Paul:  Cyrus  Northrop.0 

Mississippi — Agricultural  College:  J. 
C.  Hardy."  Westside:  W.  II.  La- 
nier." 

Missouri  —  Columbia:     R.    II.    .1 
Jefferson  City:  B.  F.  Allen." 

Montana — Bozeman:  Jas.  M.  Hamil- 
ton.0 


Ni  IBRASKA  —  Lincoln:   E.    Benjamin    An- 
drews.' 
Nevada  -Reno:  Joseph  E.  Stubbe 
New    Hampshire — Durham:     Win.    I). 

Giiths." 
New  Jersey — yew  Brunswick:  Austin 

Scott." 
New    Mexico — Mesilla    Park:     Luther 

foster." 
New      York  —  Ithaca:     Jacob     Gould 

Schnrnian." 
North  Carolina — West  Raleigh:  <;.  T. 

Winston."     Greensboro:     James      B. 

Dudley." 
North    Dakota — Agricultural  Colh g<  : 

J.  II.  Worst." 
Ohio  —  Columbus:     William       Oxley 

Thompson." 
( )  k  i.  ah  < »  m  a  —  Stillwater:    Angel*  i 

Scott."     Langston:  Inman   E.    I' 
Oregon — Corvallis:  Thos.  M.  Gatch." 
Pennsylvania — State   College:  George, 

W.  Athertori." 
Rhode    Island — Kingston:  Kenyon    L. 

Butterneld.i 
South  Carolina — Clemson  College:  V. 

II.    Mell.°     Orangeburg:  Thomas    E. 

Miller.0 
South     Dakota  —  Brookings:     James 

Chalmers." 
Tennessee — Knoxville:  Brown  Ayivs." 
Texas— College     Station:     David      F. 

Houston."     Prairievicic:   E.  L.  Black- 
shear.^ 
Utah— Logan:  W.  J.  Kerr." 
Vermont — Burlington:     M.    II.    Buck- 
ham.0 
Virginia  —  Blacksburg:     J.      M.      M<- 

Bryde."     Hampton:  II.  B.  Frissell.& 
Washington— Pullman:  E.  A.  Bryan." 
West    Virginia — Morgantown:   D.    B. 

Purinton."     Institute:     J.     McHenry 

Jones.b 
Wisconsin — Madison:     Chas.    Richard 

Van  IIise.° 
Wyoming — Laramie:  Frederick  M.  Tis- 

del." 


President. 


Principal. 


c  Chancellor. 


761 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT    OF    AGRICULTURE 

OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS— BULLETIN  NO.  153. 


A.    C.    TRUE,    Director. 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF   THE 


EIGHTEENTH  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 


ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGES  AND 


EXPERIMENT  STATIONS, 


HELD    AT 


DES  MOINES,  IOWA.  NOVEMBER  1-3, 1904. 


EDITED    BY 


A.  C.  TRUE  and  W.  H.  BEAL,  for  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 

AND 

H.  C.  WHITE,  for  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Association. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE, 

1905. 


OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 

A.  C.  True,  Ph.  D.— Director. 

E.   W.  Allen,   Ph.   D. — Assistant  Director  and  Editor  of  Experiment  Station 

Record. 
W.  H.  Beal — Chief  of  Editorial  Division. 

Walter  H.  Evans,  Ph.  D. — Chief  of  Division  of  Insular  Stations. 
John  Hamilton — Farmers'  Institute  Sj)ecialist. 
Mrs.  C.  E.  Johnston — Chief  Clerk. 

editorial  departments. 

E.   W.   Allen,   Ph.   D.,   and   H.   W.   Lawson — Chemistry,   Dairy   Farming,   and 

Dairying. 
W.  H.  Beal — Agricultural  Physics  and  Engineering. 
Walter  H.  Evans,  Ph.  D. — Botany  and  Diseases  of  Plants. 
C.  F.  Langworthy,  Ph.  D. — Foods  and  Animal  Production. 
J.  I.  Schulte — Field  Crops. 
E.  V.  Wilcox,  Ph.  D. — Entomology  and  Veterinary  Science. 

C.  B.  Smith — Horticulture. 

D.  J.  Crosby — Agricultural  Institutions. 

NUTRITION    INVESTIGATIONS. 

W.  O.  Atwater — Chief. 

IRRIGATION   AND   DRAINAGE   INVESTIGATIONS. 

El  wood  Mead — Chief. 

(2) 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 
Washington,  D.  C,  March  15,  1905. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  for  publication  Bulletin 
No.  153  of  this  Office,  containing  the  proceedings  of  the  Eighteenth 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural 
Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  held  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  Novem- 
ber 1-3,  1904. 

Respectfully,  A.  C.  True, 

Director. 
Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 
(3) 


CONTENTS. 


Pape. 

Officers  and  committees  of  the  association . .   7 

List  of  delegates  and  visitors  in  attendance 9 

Constitution  of  the  association 11 

Minutes  of  the  general  session 15 

Resolution  relating  to  Association  of  State  Universities 15 

Report  of  the  executive  committee ...  15 

Report  of  treasurer 19 

Report  of  bibliographer 20 

Collective  college  and  station  exhibit  at  St.  Louis 25 

Communication  from  National  Association  of  State  Universities 28 

Uniform  fertilizer  and  feeding  stuff  legislation 28 

Methods  of  seed  testing 31 

Military  instruction  _  _   31 ,  63,  69 

Indexing  agricultural  literature 32 

Annual  address  of  the  president  of  the  association .  33 

Death  of  Major  Alvord 42 

Adams  bill  and  Mondell  mining  school  bill 43 

Standing  committees 43 

Methods  of  teaching  agriculture — The  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the 

rural  schools 43 

The  social  phase  of  agricultural  education 56 

Cooperation  between  the  stations  and  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture   62 

Graduate  study 63 

Resolution  regarding  Hon.  H.  C.  Adams 64 

Extension  of  franking  privilege 64 

Resolution  regarding  Hon.  F.  W.  Mondell 64 

Resolution  regarding  Maj.  Henry  E.  Alvord _ 65 

Election  of  officers 65 

Meeting  place  of  next  convention 66 

Rural  engineering 66 

Animal  and  plant  breeding — American  Breeders'  Association 68 

The  upbuilding  of  agriculture 69 

Indexing  agricultural  literature 76 

Resolution  regarding  Director  True  and  the  Office  of  Experiment  Sta- 
tions   77 

Resolutions  of  thanks 77 

Minutes  of  the  sections 79 

Section  on  college  work  and  administration 79 

Elementary  instruction  in  land-grant  colleges 79 

Military  instruction 91 

Degrees  in  land-grant  colleges 101 

(5) 


Minutes  of  the  sections— Continued. 

Section  on  college  work  and  administration — Continued.  Page. 

Election  of  officers .       106 

Action  on  resolutions 106 

Technical  agricultural  education 106 

Section  on  experiment  station  work 116 

Organization  of  a  section  on  botany  and  horticulture 116 

Federation  of  agricultural  organizations 11? 

Uniformity  of  terms  used  in  agricultural  analysis 29, 117 

Nomination  of  officers . . 118 

Topics  for  discussion  next  year 118 

Plant  breeding 117,119 

Methods  in  Breeding  Hardy  Fruits 119 

Improvement  in  the  Quality  of  Wheat  119 

Animal  breeding. • 1 24 

Teaching  by  station  men. 130 

Index  of  names 137 


OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES  OF  THE.  ASSOCIATION. 


President. 

E.  B.  Voorhees,  of  New  Jersey. 

Vice-Presidents. 

J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi  :  C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine; 

K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Rhode  Island ;       E.  R.  Nichols,  of  Kansas  ; 
Eugene  Davenport,  of  Illinois. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont. 

Bibliographer. 

A.  C.  True,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

Executive  Committee. 

H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  Chair.; 
J    L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan  ;  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa  ; 

W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York ;  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York. 

officers  of  sections. 

College  Work  and  Administration. 

R.  W.  Stimson,  of  Connecticut,  Chair.;   K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Rhode  Island,  Secy. 

Programme  Committee. 

R.  W.  Stimson,  of  Connecticut;  K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Rhode  Island; 

E.  R.  Nichols,  of  Kansas. 

Experiment  Station  Work. 

EL  J.  Patterson,  of  Maryland,  Chair.;      M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  Secy. 

Programme  Committee. 

J.  F.  Duggab,  of  Alabama  ;  C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine ; 

M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky. 

committees. 

Indexing  Agricultural  Literature. 

A.  C.  True,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Chair. ;       W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota  ;  <* 
T.  F.  Hunt,  of  Ohio  ;  E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois  ; 

Josephine  A.  Clark,  Librarian  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

"  Now  Assistant  Secretary  T'.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
(7) 


Methods  of  Teaching  Agriculture. 

A  C.  True,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  Chair. ;      II.  T.  French,  of  Idaho ; 
T.  F.  Hunt,  of  Ohio ;  H.  H.  Wing,  of  New  York ; 

J.  P.  Duggab,  of  Alabama. 

Collective  College  and  station  Exhibit,  st.  Louis. 

W.  H.  Jordan,  of  New  York.  Chair.;  W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana; 

A.  C.  True,  of  Washington.  D.  C,  Secy.;         T.  F.  Hunt,  of  Ohio  ; 
H.  J.  Waters,  of  Missouri ;  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa  ; 

W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota  ;  J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky ; 

H.  W.  Tyler,  of  Massachusetts. 

Graduate  study. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  Chair.;  A.  C.  True,  of  Washington,  D.  G. : 

.1.  K.  Stubbs,  of  Nevada  ;  K.  H.  Jesse,  of  Missouri ; 

M.  H.  Buckham.  of  Vermont:  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio. 

Uniform  Fertilizer  and  Feeding-Stuffs  Lavs. 

H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island,  Chair.;      C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine: 
H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania  :  E.  H.  Jenkins,  of  Connecticut; 

M.  A.  Scovell.  of  Kentucky. 

Military  Instruction  in  Land-Grant  Colleges. 

G.  W.  Atherton,  of  Pennsylvania,  Chair.;     II.  H.  Goodell,  of  Massachusetts  ; 
Alexis  Cope,  of  Ohio ;  K.  H.  Jesse,  of  Missouri ; 

H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia. 

Cooperation  between  Stations  and  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington.  Chair.:  H.  J.  Waters,  of  Missouri ; 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin  ;  L.  G.  Carpenter,  of  Colorado : 

H.  H.  Goodell,  of  Massachusetts  ;  B.  T.  Galloway',  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

Pure-Food  Legislation. 

W.  A.  Withers,  of  North  Carolina.  Chair.;    W.  Frear.  of  Pennsylvania  ; 
H.  J.  Patterson,  of  Maryland;  H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island; 

A.  T.  Xeale,  of  Delaware. 

Animal  and  Plant  Breeding. 

AY.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota,  Chair.:  T.  F.  Hunt,  of  New  York  ; 

C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa  :  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York  ; 

H.  J.  Wleber,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

Rural  Engineering. 

W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana,  Chair.;  S.  Fortier,  of  Montana; 

A.  R.  Whitson.  of  Wisconsin  ;  C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa  ; 

Elwood  Mead,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

Methods  of  Seed  Testing. 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  of  Connecticut,  Chair.:         F.  W.  Card,  of  Rhode  Island; 
W.  R.  Lazenby.  of  Ohio :  E.  Brown,  of  Washington,  D.  C. ; 

A.  D.  Shamel,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


LIST  OF  DELEGATES  AND  VISITORS  IX  ATTENDANCE. 


Alabama:  J.  F.  Duggar.  C.  C.  Thach. 

Arizona:  K.  C.  Babeock. 

Colorado:  W.  L.  Carlyle,  L.  G.  Carpenter. 

Connecticut:  C.  L.  Beach.  E.  H.  Jenkins,  R.  W.  Stimson. 

Delaware:  G.  A.  Harter,  A.  T.  Neale. 

Georgia:  J.  M.  Kiinbrough,  R.  J.  Redding,  H.  C.  White,  Mrs.  H.  C.  White. 

Idaho:  G.  A.  Crosthwait,  H.  T.  French.  J.  A.  Mac  Lean. 

Illinois:  E.  Davenport,  W.  J.  Fraser.  C.  G.  Hopkins,  E.  J.  James. 

Indiana:  W.  E.  Stone. 

Iowa:  R.  C.  Aulmann,  H.  P.  Baker,  G.  W.  Bissell.  F.  W.  Bouska,  R.  E.  Buchanan, 
A.  N.  Carstensen,  G.  I.  Christie,  C.  F.  Curtiss,  W.  Dinsmore,  C.  O.  Dixon, 
C.  E.  Ellis,  A.  T.  Erwin.  C.  W.  Gay,  B.  O.  Gammon,  W.  Gammon,  P.  G. 
Holden.  J.  J.  Hooper.  T.  S.  Hunt,  J.  W.Jones,  L.  S.  Klinck,  E.  E.  Little,  G.L. 
McKay,  J.  H.  McNeil.  M.  L.  Merritt,  L.  H.  Pammel,  R.  Rueda.  W.  J.  Ruth- 
erford, W.  H.  Stevenson.  A.  B.  Storms.  H.  E.  Summers,  O.  W.  Willcox,  C.  J. 
Zintheo. 

Kansas:  E.  R.  Nichols.  Mrs.  E.  R.  Nichols,  R.  C.  Nichols. 

Kentucky:  J.  K.  Patterson.  Mrs.  J.  K.  Patterson,  M.  A.  Scovell. 

Maine:  G.  E.  Fellows,  C.  D.  Woods. 

Maryland:  J.  R.  Owens,  H.  J.  Patterson. 

Massachusetts:  H.  Hay  ward. 

Michigan:  C.  D.  Smith,  J.  L.  Snyder.  L.  W.  Watkins,  Mrs.  L.  W.  Watkins, 
P.  H.  Wessels. 

Minnesota:  W.  M.  Hays.  Mrs.  W.  M.  Hays.  W.  M.  Liggett.  Mrs.  W.  M.  Liggett, 
M.  H.  Reynolds,  H.  Snyder. 

Mississippi:  J.  C.  Hardy. 

Missouri:  R.  G.  Finney.  G.  G.  Hedgcock,  R.  H.  Jesse.  M.  F.  Miller.  F.  B.  Mum- 
ford,  C.  Wells,  F.  S  White.  W.  Williams. 

Montana:  R.  W.  Fisher,  J.  M.  Hamilton.  F.  B.  Linfield. 

Nebraska:  E.  B.  Andrews.  E.  A.  Burnett,  A.  Keyser.  T.  L.  Lyon. 

Nevada:  P.  Frandsen,  G.  H.  True.  Mrs.  G.  H.  True. 

New  Hampshire:  W.  D.  Gibbs. 

New  Jersey:  A.  Scott,  E.  B.  Voorhees. 

New  Mexico:  L.  Foster.  Mrs.  L.  Foster,  F.  Garcia,  J.  D.  Tinsley. 

New  York:  L.  H.  Bailey.  B.  von  Herff,  W.  H.  Jordan. 

North  Carolina:  C.  W.  Burkett,  F.  L.  Stevens. 

North  Dakota:  E.  E.  Kaufman.  L.  Van  Es,  J.  H.  Worst. 

Ohio:  A.  Agee.  J.  E.  McClintock.  H.  C.  Price,  W.  O.  Thompson.  C.  E.  Thome, 
A.  Vivian,  F.  L.  West. 

Oklahoma:  J.  Fields,  A.  C.  Scott. 

Oregon:  A.  L.  Knisely. 

Pennsylvania:  H.  P.  Armsby. 

(9) 


10 

Rhode  Island:  K.  L.  Butterfield.  F.  W.  Card,  H.  J.  Wheeler. 

South  Carolina:  C.  E.  Chainbliss.  P.  H.  Mell. 

South  Dakota:  J.  Chalmers,  J.  W.  Wilson. 

Tennessee:  B.  Ayres.  C.  A.  Keffer. 

Utah:  J.  A.  Widtsoe. 

Vermont:  J.  L.  Hills. 

Virginia:  E.  A.  Bishop. 

Washington:  E.  A.  Bryan. 

Wisconsin:  W.  A.  Henry,  G.  N.  Knapp.  E.  P.  Sandsten,  C.  R.  Van  Hise. 

Wyoming:  B.  C.  Buffmn,  F.  M.  Tisdell. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture:  E.  W.  Allen.  E.  Mead,  of  the  Office 

of  Experiment  Stations. 
Government  Board,  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition:  W.  V.  Cox. 
Ottawa,  Canada:  W.  Saunders. 
Santiago  de  las  Vegas,  Cuba:  N.  S.  Mayo. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THF.  ASSOCIATION. 


This  association  shall  be  called  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Col- 
leges and  Experiment  Stations. 

OBJECT. 

The  object  of  this  association  shall  be  the  consideration  and  discussion  of 
all  questions  pertaining  to  the  successful  progress  and  administration  of  the  col- 
leges and  stations  included  in  the  association,  and  to  secure  to  that  end  mutual 
cooperation. 

MEMBERSHIP. 

(1)  Every  college  established  under  the  act  of  Congress  approved  July  2,  18G2, 
or  receiving  the  benefits  of  the  act  of  Congress  approved  August  30,  1890,  and 
every  agricultural  experiment  station  established  under  State  or  Congressional 
authority,  the  Bureau  of  Education  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  and  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  last- 
named  Department,  shall  be  eligible  to  membership  in  this  association. 

(2)  Any  institution  a  member  of  the  association  in  full  standing  may  send 
any  number  of  delegates  to  the  meetings  of  the  association.  The  same  delegate 
may  represent  both  a  college  and  a  station,  but  shall  vote  in  only  one  section  and 
shall  cast  only  one  vote  in  general  sessions.  Other  delegates  may  be  designated 
by  any  institution  to  represent  it  in  specified  divisions  of  the  sections  of  the 
association,  but  such  delegates  shall  vote  only  in  such  divisions,  and  no  institu- 
tion shall  be  allowed  more  than  one  vote  in  any  sectional  meeting. 

(3)  Delegates  from  other  institutions  engaged  in  educational  or  experimental 
work  in  the  interest  of  agriculture  or  mechanic  arts  may,  by  a  majority  vote,  be 
admitted  to  conventions  of  the  association,  with  all  privileges  except  the  right  to 
vote. 

(4)  In  like  mannner,  any  person  engaged  or  directly  interested  in  agriculture 
or  mechanic  arts  who  shall  attend  any  convention  of  this  association  may  be 
admitted  to  similar  privileges. 

SECTIONS. 

(1)  The  association  shall  be  divided  into  two  sections:  (a)  A  section  on 
college  work  and  administration,  (b)  a  section  on  experiment  station  work. 

The  section  on  college  work  and  administration  shall  be  composed  of  the  presi- 
dents or  acting  presidents  of  colleges  and  universities  represented  in  the  associa- 
tion, or  other  representatives  of  such  institutions  duly  and  specifically  accred- 
ited to  this  section,  and  no  action  on  public  and  administrative  questions  shall 
be  final  without  the  assent  of  this  section. 

The  section  on  experiment  station  work  shall  be  composed  of  the  directors  or 
acting  directors  of  experiment  stations  represented  in  the  association,  or  of  other 
representatives  of  such  stations  duly  and  specifically  accredited  to  this  section. 

(11) 


12 

(2)  Members  of  these  two  sections  (and  no  others)  shall  be  entitled  to  vote 
both  in  general  sessions  and  in  the  section  to  which  they  respectively  belong. 

The  representative  appointed  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education  shall  be  as- 
signed to  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration;  the  representative  of 
the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  to  the  section  on  experiment  station  work; 
and  the  representative  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  to  either  section 
as  he  may  elect  and  the  section  by  vote  authorize;  but  such  election  once  made 
and  authorized  may  not  be  changed  during  the  sessions  of  a  given  convention. 

Each  section  may  create  such  divisions  as  it  may  from  time  to  time  find  de- 
sirable, and  shall  elect  its  own  chairman  and  secretary  for  sectional  meetings, 
whose  names  shall  be  reported  to  the  association  for  record. 

(3)  Each  section  shall  conduct  its  own  proceedings,  and  shall  keep  a  record 
of  the  same,  and  no  action  of  a  section,  by  resolution  or  otherwise,  shall  be 
valid  until  the  same  shall  have  been  ratified  by  the  association  in  general  ses- 
sion and,  in  the  case  provided  for  in  the  foregoing  paragraph  (1),  shall  also 
have  been  approved  by  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration. 

MEETINGS. 

(1)  This  association  shall  hold  at  least  one  meeting  in  every  calendar  year, 
to  be  designated  as  the  annual  convention  of  the  association.  Special  meetings 
may  be  held  at  other  times,  upon  the  call  of  the  executive  committee,  for  pur- 
poses to  be  specified  in  the  call. 

(2)  The  annual  convention  of  the  association  shall  comprise  general  sessions 
and  meetings  of  the  sections  and  provision  shall  be  made  therefor  in  the  pro- 
gramme. Unless  otherwise  determined  by  vote,  the  association  will  meet  in 
general  session  in  the  forenoons  and  evenings  of  the  convention  and  the  sections 
in  the  afternoons. 

OFFICERS. 

(1)  The  general  officers  of  this  association,  to  be  chosen  annually,  shall  be  a 
president,  five  vice-presidents,  a  bibliographer,  and  a  secretary,  who  shall  also  be 
treasurer;  and  an  executive  committee  of  five  members,  three  of  whom  shall  be 
chosen  by  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration  and  two  by  the  sec- 
tion on  experiment  station  work:  Provided,  liojcerer.  That  a  member  chosen  by 
either  section  need  not  be  a  member  of  that  section.  The  executive  committee 
shall  choose  its  own  chairman. 

(2)  Each  section  shall,  by  ballot,  nominate  to  the  association  in  general  ses- 
sion for  its  action,  a  chairman  and  a  secretary  for  such  section. 

(3)  The  president,  vice-presidents,  secretary,  and  bibliographer  of  this  asso- 
ciation shall  be  elected  by  ballot  upon  nomination  made  upon  the  floor  of  the 
convention,  and  shall  hold  office  from  the  close  of  the  convention  at  which  they 
are  elected  until  their  successors  shall  be  chosen. 

(4)  Any  person  being  an  accredited  delegate  to  an  annual  meeting  of  the 
association,  or  an  officer  of  an  institution  which  is  a  member  of  the  association 
in  full  standing  at  the  time  of  election,  shall  be  eligible  to  office. 

DUTIES  OF  OFFICERS. 

(1)  The  officers  of  the  association  shall  perforin  the  duties  which  usually 
devolve  upon  their  respective  offices. 

(2)  The  president  shall  deliver  an  address  at  the  annual  convention  before 
the  association  in  general  session. 

(3)  The  executive  committee  shall  determine  the  time  and  place  of  the  annual 
conventions  and  other  meetings  of  the  association,  and  shall,  between  such  con- 
^entions  and  meetings,  act  for  the  association  in  all  matters  of  business.    It  shall 


13 

issue  its  call  for  the  annual  conventions  of  the  association  not  loss  than  sixty 
days  before  the  date  on  which  they  are  to  be  held  and.  for  special  meetings,  not 

less  than  ten  days  before  such  date.  It  shall  he  charged  with  the  general  ar- 
rangements and  conduct  of  all  meetings  called  by  it.  it  shall  designate  the 
time   and    place  of   the   convention;   it    shall    present    a    well-prepared    order   of 

business — of  subjects  for  discussion  and  shall  provide  and  arrange  f<  r  the 
meetings  of  the  several  sections.  The  subjects  provided  for  consideration  by 
each  section  at  any  convention  of  the  association  shall  concentrate  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  sections  upon  not  more  than  two  lines  of  discussion,  which  lines  as 
far  as  possible  shall  he  related.  Not  more  than  one-third  of  the  working  time 
of  any  annual  convention  of  the  association  shall  be  confined  to  miscellaneous 
business. 

FINANCES. 

At  every  annual  convention  the  association,  in  general  session,  shall  provide 
for  obtaining  the  funds  necessary  for  its  legitimate  expenses,  and  may.  by  appro- 
priate action,  call  for  contributions  upon  the  several  institutions  eligible  to 
membership;  and  no  institution  shall  be  entitled  to  representation  or  participa- 
tion in  the  benefits  of  the  association  unless  such  institution  shall  have  made 
the  designated  contribution  for  the  year  previous  to  that  in  and  for  which  such, 
question  of  privilege  shall  arise,  or  shall  have  said  payment  remitted  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of  the  executive  committee. 

AMENDMENTS. 

This  constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  regular  convention  of  the  associa- 
tion by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  delegates  present,  if  the  number  constitute  a 
quorum  :  Provided,  That  notice  of  any  proposed  amendment,  together  with  the 
full  text  thereof  and  the  name  of  the  mover,  shall  have  been  given  at  the  next 
preceding  annual  convention,  and  repeated  in  the  call  for  the  convention.  Every 
such  proposition  of  amendment  shall  be  subject  to  modification  or  amendment 
in  the  same  manner  as  other  propositions,  and  the  final  vote  on  the  adoption  or 
rejection  shall  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays  of  the  institutions  then  and  there 
represented. 

Rules  oe  Order. 

(1)  The  executive  committee  shall  be  charged  with  the  order  of  business,  sub- 
ject to  special  action  of  the  convention,  and  this  committee  may  report  at  any 
tini^. 

(2)  All  business  or  topics  proposed  for  discussion  and  all  resolutions  sub- 
mitted for  consideration  of  the  convention  shall  be  read  and  then  referred, 
without  debate,  to  the  executive  committee,  to  be  assigned  positions  on  the 
programme. 

(3)  Speakers  invited  to  open  discussion  shall  be  entitled  to  twenty  minutes 
each. 

(4)  In  general  discussions  the  ten-minute  rule  shall  be  enforced. 

(5)  No  speaker  shall  be  recognized  a  second  time  on  any  one  subject  while 
any  delegate  who  has  not  spoken  thereon  desires  to  do  so. 

(0)  The  hours  of  meeting  and  adjournment  adopted  with  the  general  pro- 
gramme shall  be  closely  observed,  unless  changed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the 
delegates   present. 

(7)  The  presiding  officer  shall  enforce  the  parliamentary  rules  usual  in  such 
assemblies  and  not  inconsistent  with  the  foregoing. 

(8)  Vacancies  which  may  arise  in  the  membership  of  standing  committees  by 
death,  resignation,  or  separation  from  the  association,  of  members,  shall  be 
filled  by  the  committees,  respectively. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  AMERICAN  AGRI- 
CULTURAL COLLEGES  AND  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  GENERAL  SESSION. 


Morning  Session,  Tuesday,  November  1,  1904. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  at  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  in  the  banquet  room  of 
the  Hotel  Chamberlain,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  President  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio, 
in  the  chair. 

Prayer  was  offered  by  J.  Chalmers,  of  South  Dakota. 

On  motion  the  following  persons  were  voted  the  privileges  of  the  convention 
under  the  clause  of  the  constitution  which  provides  that  "  delegates  from  other 
institutions  engaged  in  educational  or  experimental  work  in  the  interest  of  agri- 
culture or  mechanic  arts  may,  by  a  majority  vote,  be  admitted  to  conventions  of 
the  association,  with  all  privileges  except  the  right  to  vote :"  N.  S.  Mayo.  Central 
Experiment  Station,  Cuba ;  H.  Hayward,  Mount  Hermon  Institute,  Massachu- 
setts;  G.  G.  Hedgcock,  Missouri  Botanical  Garden;  L.  W.  Watkins,  Michigan 
Board  of  Agriculture ;  W.  V.  Cox,  secretary  Government  Board  Louisiana 
Purchase  Exposition. 

Resolution   Relating  to  Association   of   State   Universities. 

II.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  on  behalf  of  the  executive  committee,  offered  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  and  asked  immediate  action : 

Resolved,  That  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations  extend  to  the  National  Association  of  State  Universities,  now  in 
session  in  this  city,  a  most  cordial  greeting  in  recognition  of  common  and  mutual 
endeavors  in  the  cause  of  learning,  and  in  assurance  of  fraternal  admiration  and 
esteem. 

Resolved,  second,  That  members  of  the  Association  of  State  Universities  be 
invited  to  seats  on  the  floor  during  this  convention. 

The  resolution  was  adopted,  and  the  secretary  was  directed  to  transmit  it  at 
once. 

Report  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  report  of  the  executive  committee  was  presented  by  H.  C.  "White,  of 
Georgia,  chairman,  as  follows : 

Your  executive  committee,  appointed  at  the  seventeenth  annual  convention 
of  the  association,  held  in  Washington,  D.  C,  November  17-19,  1903,  met  imme- 
diately upon  adjournment  of  the  convention,  and  organized  by  the  selection  of 
President  H.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  as  chairman.  Acting  under  instructions  of 
the  committee,  the  chairman  issued  and  posted  to  each  member  of  the  associa- 
tion, under  date  of  December  15,  1903,  an  abstract  memorandum  of  the  proceed- 

(15) 
23880— No.  15:3—05  M 2 


16 

lugs  of  the  convention  of  !!»<».;.  The  proceedings  in  full  were  edited  by  the 
chairman,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  r.  s. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  for  publication,  .January  10,  1904. 

six  subsequent  meetings  of  the  committee,  at  each  of  which  a  quorum  was 
present,  were  held  as  follows:  At  Washington,  I).  ('..  December  18-19,  Jan- 
uary 18-20,  February  19-20;  March  17-19,  and  October  1.  and  at  Dos  Moines, 
Iowa.  October  .".1.  Five  circulars  of  Information  concerning  the  results  of  these 
meetings  were  issued  and  posted  to  members  of  the  association,  other  busi- 
ness was  transacted  by  correspondence  or  by  attention  of  individual  members 
of  the  committee.  The  'all  for  the  eighteenth  annual  convention  (1904)  was 
issued  July  1.  and  the  programme  for  the  convention,  as  arranged  by  the  com- 
mittee, October  22. 

In  obedience  to  the  instructions  of  the  association  at  the  last  annual  conven- 
tion, your  committee  continued  the  efforts  to  secure  favorable  action  by  Congress 
on  the  mining-school  bill  and  for  increasing  the  annual  appropriation  for  the 
experiment  stations.  The  character  and  results  of  these  efforts  have  been  in 
part  made  known  to  the  members  of  the  association  through  the  circulars 
issued  by  the  committee.  Meeting  in  Washington  shortly  after  the  convening 
of  the  second  session  of  the  Fifty-eighth  Congress,  in  December,  your  committee 
secured  the  consent  of  Mr.  Mondell,  of  Wyoming,  to  reintroduce  and  endeavor 
to  secure  favorable  action  upon  the  bill  for  the  endowment  of  schools  of  mines 
in  connection  with  the  land-grant  colleges  and  other  institutions,  which  had 
failed  of  consideration  in  the  Fifty-seventh  Congress,  The  bill  was  practically 
identical  in  wording  with  that  previously  introduced  by  General  Grosvenor,  which 
had  received  the  indorsement  of  the  association.  The  National  Association  of 
State  Universities  and  the  National  Association  of  State  Mining  Schools  proposed 
an  amendment  to  the  bill,  which  your  committee  thought  inimical  to  the  interests 
of  the  institutions  represented  in  this  associaton ;  but  after  conference  between 
your  committee  and  the  executive  committees  of  the  other  associations  named 
the  amendment  was  abandoned,  and  these  organizations  came  cordially  and 
actively  to  the  support  of  the  original  bill  of  this  association.  Your  committee 
appeared  before  the  Committee  on  Mines  and  Mining  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives and  secured  a  favorable  unanimous  report  on  the  bill,  and  it  was  so 
reported  to  the  House  and  placed  on  the  Union  Calendar  February  1,  J  904. 
Guided  by  the  wise  counsels  of  Mr.  Mondell,  whose  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
measure  were  most  sympathetic  and  energetic,  your  committee  employed  its  best 
efforts  to  secure  consideration  for  the  hill,  hut  without  success.  Failure  we 
believe  to  be  attributable  mainly  to  the  shortness  of  the  session  of  Congress  and 
a  disinclination  to  enact  legislation  of  this  character  on  the  eve  of  a  Presidential 
election,  and  not  to  opposition  to  the  bill  on  its  merits.  Impressed  with  the 
importance  of  the  measure  to  the  land-grant  colleges,  and  having  faith  in 
ultimate  success  in  its  passage,  your  committee  earnestly  recommends  continued 
efforts  of  the  association  in  this  direction. 

Before  the  meeting  of  your  committee  Mr.  Adams,  of  Wisconsin,  had  intro- 
duced in  the  House  of  Representatives  a  bill  providing  for  increased  appropria- 
tions to  the  experiment  stations.  After  conference  with  Mr."  Adams  and  the 
suggestion  of  several  desirable  amendments,  which  were  accepted  by  him,  your 
committee  gave  its  hearty  and  active  support  to  his  bill,  and  aided  him  to  the 
extent  of  its  ability  in  furthering  its  progress.  A  favorable  report  was  secured 
from  the  Committee  on  Agriculture  of  the  House  in  February,  but  it  was  found 
impossible  to  secure  consideration  for  the  bill  before  the  adjournment  of  Con- 
gress in  March.  Mr.  Adams  was  most  energetic,  wise,  and  able  in  the  conduct 
of  his  measure,  giving,  indeed,  the  major  portion  of  his  time  and  attention  in 
Congress  in  its  interest.  He  has  expressed  his  firm  conviction — which  your 
committee  shares — that  an  overwhelming  majority  was  favorable  to  the  pas- 
sage of  his  bill  could  consideration  for  it  have  been  secured.  The  bill  is  still 
pending  in  Congress,  and  as  its  terms  are  in  the  main  quite  satisfactory  to  our 
institutions  your  committee  recommends  the  continuance  of  the  support  of  this 
association.  The  report  of  failure  of  its  efforts  in  connection  with  these  im- 
portant measures,  and  of  repeated  failure  in  case  of  the  first,  is  unpleasant  and. 
to  some  extent,  mortifying  to  your  committee.  But  when  it  is  remembered 
that  failures  many  times  repeated  met  similar  efforts  in  connection  with  the 
Hatch  Act  and  the  act  of  1890  before  these  were  carried  to  final  successful 
i^sue  we  are  encouraged  to  believe  that  similar  persistence  in  those  present  eases 
will  eventually  be  crowned  with  similar  success. 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  last  annual  convention  your  com- 
mittee called  upon  the  honorable  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  at  his  request,  and 


17 

enjoyed  a  most  cordial  and  frank  conference  on  1 1 1 < *  subject  of  the  cooperation 
between  the  Department  of  Agriculture  and  the  agricultural  experiment  Bta 
t ions,  n  was  known  to  the  Secretary  and  to  your  committee  that  some  friction 
had  arisen  in  several  of  the  States  because  of  an  overlapping  of  the  linos  of 
work  of  the  Department  and  the  stations,  and  the  lack  of  cooperation  and  a 
mutual  understanding  necessary  to  preserve  the  interests  of  all  concerned.  It 
was  felt  that,  in  order  that  the  association's  standing  committee  on  cooperation 
between  the  stations  and  the  CJ.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  should  be  in  posi- 
tion to  advise  the  association  from  time  to  time,  concerning  the  extent  and  char- 
acter of  tins  c(. operation,  a  full  and  complete  understanding  between  the  author- 
ities of  the  Department  and  the  association  should  be  secured.  5Tour  committee 
considered  it  within  Its  duty  to  attempt  to  secure  such  understanding  and  a  recog- 
nition of  the  broad  and  general  principles  which  should  guide  such  cooperation. 
The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  expressed  his  desire  thai  conferences  to  that  end 
should  be  freely  held  with  the  appropriate  officials  of  the  Department  and  desig- 
nated a  committee  of  chief-  of  the  bureaus  of  the  Department,  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Galloway,  Whitney,  and  True,  to  confer  with  your  executive  committee 
with  a  view  to  arriving  at  a  basis  of  cooperation  mutually  satisfactory.  Three 
personal  conferences  of  the  two  committees  were  held,  characterized  on  the  part 
Of  all  concerned  by  cordiality,  frankness,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  ascertain  and 
provide  for  the  removal  of  possible  causes  of  friction  in  the  work  of  the  Depart- 
ment and  of  the  stations.  During  the  progress  of  the  conferences  your  commit- 
tee, through  correspondence,  solicited  the  views  of  the  station  workers  in  the  sev- 
eral States  and  Territories  upon  the  matter  at  issue,  and  a  large  contribution  of 
facts  and  opinions  in  the  premises  is  now  in  possession  of  the  committee.  For 
various  reasons  it  has  not  been  found  possible  as  yet,  as  a  result  of  these  con- 
ferences, to  reach  a  concrete  conclusion  in  the  matter,  such,  for  example,  as 
might  be  embodied  in  a  code  of  written  regulations  defining  the  legitimate  work 
of  the  Department  and  of  the  stations  in  common  territory,  hut  your  committee 
is  of  the  opinion  that  much  lias  been  accomplished  in  the  direction  of  mutual 
understanding  and  of  the  establishment  of  a  "  modus  Vivendi  "  which  will  afford 
hereafter  large  opportunity  for  the  association's  standing  committee  on  coopera- 
tion to  advance  the  interest  of  the  experiment  stations  through  cordial  and 
sympathetic  relations  with  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  Your  committee 
recommends  the  continuance  of  these  conferences,  understanding  such  to  he  also 
the  pleasure  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

Meanwhile,  during  the  progress  of  these 'conferences,  a  rather  startling  inci- 
dent related  to  the  subject-matter  occurred.  The  Committee  on  Agriculture  of 
the  Douse  of  Representatives,  during  its  consideration  of  the  agricultural  appro- 
priation act.  carrying  the  annual  appropriation  to  the  experiment  stations, 
inserted  a  clause  in  the  act,  authorizing  and  directing  the  Secretary  of  Agricul- 
ture to  "coordinate  the  work  of  the  several  stations,  and  the  work  of  the  stations 
with  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  to  the  end  of  preventing  unnecessary  dupli- 
cation of  work,  of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  stations  and  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  and  to  unify  and  systematize  agricultural  investigation  in  the 
United  States." 

In  the  haste  of  disposing  of  necessary  appropriation  acts,  this  bill  was  re- 
ported and  within  twenty-four  hours  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  (with- 
out a  dissenting  vote),  and  before  your  committee  became  aware  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  clause  referred  to.  Learning  of  its. existence,  your  committee  immedi- 
ately communicated  by  wire  with  the  chairman  of  the  Senate  Committee  on  Agri- 
culture and  received  assurance  that  the  Senate  would  reject  or  modify  the  clause 
as  passed  by  the  House.  Having  its  own  opinion  of  the  objectionable  character 
of  the  proposed  legislation  strengthened  by  numerous  telegrams  and  letters 
from  members  of  the  association,  your  committee  subsequently  visited  Wash- 
ington and  after  conference  with  the  chairmen  and  members  of  the  House  and 
Senate  Committees  on  Agriculture,  secured  without  difficulty  a  rejection  of 
the  clause  by  the  Senate  and  unanimous  agreement  to  the  rejection  by  the  con- 
ference committee  of  the  two  Houses. 

This  incident  and  the  large  and  careful  consideration  given  during  the  year 
to  the  relations  of  the  experiment  stations  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
lead  your  committee  to  report  frankly  to  the  association  that,  in  its  judg- 
ment, a  grave  situation  has  arisen,  involving  the  entire  future  of  agricultural 
research  work  in  the  United  States.  For  many  years  after  the  establishment 
of  the  State  experiment  stations  these  were  the  main — almost  the  exclusive — 


18 

instruments  through  which  research  in  agriculture  in  this  country  was  prose- 

cuted.  No  one  conversant  with  the  brilliant  achievements  of  the  State  stations, 
ami  the  beneficent  influence  <>f  these  upon  the  economic  agriculture  of  the  coun- 
try, may  doubt  the  effectiveness  of  the  stations  as  agents  in  agricultural 
research.  During  this  period  the  stations  had  a  right  to  expect  and  they  did 
receive  much  valuable  aid  from  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  particu- 
larly through  its  ability,  as  a  great  department  of  the  National  Government,  to 
give  wide  circulation  to  and  general  acquaintance  with  the  results  obtained  by 
the  stations.  Within  a  few  years  past,  however,  a  number  of  bureaus  of  purely 
scientific  research,  as  related  to  agriculture,  have  arisen  within  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  and  have  been  maintained  by  generous  appropriations  of  money 
from  the  National  Treasury.  The  Department  has  therefore  entered  upon — or 
at  least  been  engaged  in  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  heretofore — a  field  of  en- 
deavor which  formerly  was  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  the  State  stations. 

This  statement  of  facts  is  made  by  your  committee  in  no  spirit  of  complaint— 
certainly  in  no  spirit  of  sensitiveness  to  rivalry.  It  is  freely  conceded  that  the 
agricultural  research  work  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  is  of  high  quality 
and  value.  It  is  as  stoutly  maintained  that  the  work  of  the  stations  is  at  least 
equally  so.  But.  with  two  agents  operating  in  the  same  held,  common  prudence 
and  regard  for  effectiveness  dictate  that  care  should  be  taken  that  each  singly. 
or  the  two  combined,  should  operate  with  maximum  economy  and  for  maximum 
results.  Considered  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  country  as  a  whole,  and  bear- 
ing in  mind  that  the  whole  is  but  an  aggregation  of  parts,  if  a  particular 
research  may,  all  things  considered,  be  undertaken  to  the  best  advantage  by  a 
local  station,  it  should  be  given  over  to  the  station:  if  by  the  Department,  it 
should  be  given  over  to  the  Department.  There  would  probably  be  no  dispute 
of  the  soundness  of  this  proposition,  but  there  is  one  factor  in  the  case  which 
seriously  disturbs  the  clearness  of  vision  in  discerning  the  relative  suitabilities 
of  the  station  and  the  Department  in  the  premises.  The  Department  is  coin- 
parathely  rich,  with  a  readily  approachable  and  generous  Congress  at  its  doors 
and  the  resources  of  the  Federal  Treasury  at  its  back.  The  stations  are  com 
paratively  poor  in  money,  without  hope,  and  perhaps  without  expectations,  in 
equity,  of  large  aid  from  their  several  States,  widely  scattered  and  far  removed 
from  the  ear  of  Congressional  committees.  It  would  not  be  surprising,  there- 
fore, if  mere  possession  of  the  financial  ability  to  do  it  might  lead  the  Depart- 
ment to  undertake  some  kinds  of  research  work  which  the  stations  are  other- 
wise better  qualified  to  do.  There  is  also  danger  perhaps  that  the  inability  of 
the  stations  to  compete  with  the  Department  in  the  matter  of  compensation 
offered  qualified  and  desirable  men  may  lower  the  standard  or  impair  the  enthu- 
siasm of  service  at  the  stations  in  such  manner  as  to  disqualify  the  stations  for 
work  which  otherwise,  by  reason  of  their  local  conditions,  they  should  be  better 
able  to  do  than  a  single  Department  at  the  National  Capital.  In  fine,  it  is  con- 
ceivable that  a  rich  and  central  agency  of  research  might  so  overshadow  poor 
and  scattered  agencies  as  to  seriously  impair  their  standing  and  efficiency. 
Your  committee,  therefore,  commends  to  the  serious  consideration  of  the  asso- 
ciation the  whole  question  of  the  relations  of  the  State  experiment  stations  and 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  to  the  research  work  in  agriculture,  which 
must  continue  and  increase  in  this  country  if  science  is  to  be  made  contributory 
in  the  fullest  measure  to  our  economic  agriculture.  With  a  view  to  laying  in 
some  measure  a  foundation  for  effort  on  the  part  of  the  association  in  what 
would  seem  to  be  an  appropriate  direction,  and  in  order  that  a  proper  balance 
between  the  two  great  agencies  of  research  might  be  preserved,  your  committee 
suggested  to  the  chairmen  of  the  House  and  Senate  Committees  on  Agriculture. 
at  the  last  session  of  Congress,  that  it  might  be  well  for  the  institutions  repre- 
sented in  this  association  to  be  heard  before  these  committees  when  the  appro- 
priations to  the  stations  and  to  the  research  bureaus  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  were  under  consideration.  Both  gentlemen  heartily  approved  the 
suggestion,  and  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  an  expression  of  the  views  of  the 
stations  would  be  most  acceptable  and  helpful  to  the  committees.  Your  com- 
mittee respectfully  recommends  that  instruction  be  given  your  executive  com- 
mittee to  make  clear  to  the  proper  Congressional  committees,  if  hearings  may 
be  secured,  the  important  part  taken  by  the  State  experiment  stations  in  the 
agricultural  research  work  of  this  country,  with  a  view  to  securing  for  the  sta- 
tions some  measure  of  equity  in  the  appropriations  made  for  this  purpose  from 
the  National  Treasury. 

The  post  of  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  fell 


1!) 

vacant  through  tho  death  In  July  last  of  the  Hon.  .7.  II.  Brigham.  Sharing  the 
opinion  expressed  In  numerous  communications  received  from  members  of  the 
association,  that  11  would  be  of  advantage  n>  both  the  Department  «>(*  Agricul- 
ture and  the  land-grant  institutions  were  the  Lncumbenl  of  this  office  a  person  of 
scientific  attainments,  personally  experienced  In  scientific  work  related  to  agri- 
culture, or  having  intelligent  sympathy  therewith,  your  committee  respectfully 
requested  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  (in  whose  bands  the  appoint- 
ment lay  i  an  opportunity  to  present  their  views  in  the  premises.  A  prompt 
and  cordial  response  was  made  to  the  request,  and  on  October  1  your  com- 
mittee enjoyed  a  personal  interview  of  most  satisfactory  character  with  the 
President  Refraining,  as  was  proper,  from  suggesting  any  individual  for  con- 
sideration, the  views  of  the  committee  were  fully  presented,  and  emphasis  was 
laid  upon  the  extremely  satisfactory  character  of  the  services  of  Professor  Wil- 
lits  and  President  Dahnoy,  incumbents  of  the  office  in  piovious  administrations, 
as  indicative  of  the  type  of  man  who  might  with  advantage  he  selected  at  the 
present  juncture.  The  President  granted  the  committee  a  most  kind  and  at  ton 
tlve  hearing  and  expressed  his  sympathetic  accord  with  the  views  presented. 
Your  committee  is  abundantly  satisfied  that,  so  far  as  other  necessary  consider- 
ations will  permit,  the  President  will  gladly  meet  the  wishes  of  the  association 
as  expressed  through  your  committee  in  making  this  appointment 

Numerous  matters  of  detail,  concerning  which  no  report  is  necessary,  have 
received  the  attention  of  your  committee  during  the  year.  Proper  representa- 
tions were  made  as  directed  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  concerning  the 
desire  of  the  association  that  the  Experiment  Station  Record  should  contain, 
more  generally,  brief  extracts  as  well  as  titles  of  the  publications  of  foreign 
agricultural  experiment  stations  and  kindred  institutions,  and  the  importance 
id'  appropriations  for  extending  the  work  of  the  Department  in  the  line  of  rural 
engineering. 

The  funds  of  the  association  have  been  economically  administered,  and  the 
report  of  the  treasurer  will  show  a  satisfactory  balance  in  the  treasury,  with 
no  outstanding  obligations. 

It  is  with  sincere  sorrow  that  your  committee  makes  official  record  of  the 
death  on  October  1.  1904,  of  Maj.  Henry  E.  Alvord.  one  of  the  founders  of  this 
association,  a  former  president  and  for  many  years  the  able  and  efficient  chair- 
man of  its  executive  committee.  The  association  will  no  doubt  be  moved  to 
express  in  suitable  manner  its  regret  for  this  sad  occurrence,  and  its  apprecia- 
tion of  the  character  and  services  of  its  late  honored  member. 

H.  C.  White,  Chairman. 

On  motion  of  PI.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania,  the  report  was  accepted,  and  the 
executive  committee  was  instructed  to  arrange  for  the  discussion  of  the  subject 
of  relations  of  the  stations  with  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  raised  by 
this  report,  in  connection  with  the  report  on  cooperation  (see  p.  62). 

On  motion  of  II.  C.  White,  the  request  of  members  of  the  association,  previ- 
ously constituting  the  section  on  horticulture  and  botany  under  the  old  arrange- 
ment, to  be  allowed  to  form  a  division  for  horticulture  and  botany  in  one  of  the 
sections  of  the  association,  was  referred  to  the  section  on  experiment  station 
work. 

Report  of  Treasurer. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer  was  read,  as  follows: 

Report  <>f  treasurer  of  the  association,  November  17,  1903,  to  October  SI,  190). 

RECEIPTS. 

Amount  on  hand  November  17,  1903 $263.  26 

Amount  received  from  dues 1,525.00 

Amount  received  from  National  Association  of  State  Universities  for 
services  of  the  joint  agent  of  the  passenger  associations  at  Des 
Moines G.  00 

Total 1,  794.  2G 


20 

EXPENDITURES. 

Expenses  of  the  executive  committee $1, 123.  85 

Expenses  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer  (postage,  printing,  telegrams, 
etc. ) 19.  49 

Services  of  the  joinl  agent  of  the  passenger  associations  al  Des  .Moines  it.  <><> 

Total 1. 160.  34 

Balance  on  hand  October  31,  1904 633.  92 

E.  B.  Voobhees,  Secretary-Treasurer. 

on  motion,  the  report  was  referred  to  an  auditing  committee  consisting  of 
J,  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont,  and  E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington,  which  subsequently 
reported,  as  follows : 

5Tour  committee  on  auditing  the  accounts  of  the  treasurer  respect  fully  reports 

that  it  has  surveyed  the  hooks  of  that  office,  finds  them  we'd  kept,  finds  receipts, 
expenditures,  and  balance  as  stated  in  his  report,  and  finds  proper  vouchers 
supporting  all  expenditures. 

Joseph    L.    IIiejs. 
E.  A.  Buy  an. 

Committee. 
On  motion,  the  report  was  adopted. 

Report  oe  Bibliographer. 

The  report  of  the  bibliographer.  A.  C.  True,  was  presented,  as  follows: 
During  the  past  year  the  Department  of  Agriculture  has  continued  the  publi- 
cation of  the  Judex  catalogue  of  medical  and  veterinary  zoology  and  has  also 
issued  special  bibliographies  of  agricultural  text-books,  school  gardens,  insects. 
etc.  The  usual  annual  reports  concerning  the  literature  and  general  progress  in 
chemistry,  botany,  zoology,  plant  diseases,  veterinary  medicine,  and  other  gen- 
eral subjects  have  appeared.  Among  the  list  of  bibliographies  noted  below 
there  are  many  important  ones  which  deal  pretty  thoroughly  with  special  fields 
on  which  good  bibliographies  did  not  hitherto  exist.  Among  these  subjects  we 
may  mention  the  following:  Molds  pathogenic  for  animals :  The  function  of 
salt  in  the  animal  organism;  Sericulture;  Effect  of  gases  upon  cultivated 
plants;  Economic  value  of  birds;  Insect  enemies  of  books;  Hemorrhagic  septi- 
cemia; Plant  breeding;  Blood  immunity  and  blood  relationship  as  determined 
by  precipitin  tests  for  blood;  Parthenogenesis :  The  constituents  of  milk; 
Texas  fever;  The  feeding  value  of  sugar-beet  pulp  and  molasses;  India  rubber 
and  gutta-percha;   Roup  of  fowls;    Avian  tuberculosis;    and  Drinking  water. 

On  account  of  the  unusual  interest  aroused  in  the  subject  of  tuberculosis  ;i^  a 
result  of  Koch's  theories,  a  great  number  of  bibliographies  relating  to  the  differ- 
ent phases  of  this  disease  have  been  prepared  and  published  in  connection  with 
articles  containing  the  results  of  the  investigations.  All  of  the  bibliographies 
which  have  just  been  referred  to  are  noted  more  fully  in  the  list  of  08  titles 
which  follows  : 

Andreasch,  R.,  and  Spiro.  K.  Jahresbericht  iiber  die  Fortschritte  der  Tier- 
Chemie  (Annual  report  on  the  progress  in  animal  chemistry).  Jahresbericht 
fiber  die  Fortschritte  der  rier-Chemie.  32  (1902),  pp.  1141.  An  extended 
review  of  the  literature  of  animal  chemistry  for  the  year  1902. 

Bailey,  L.  II.  Development  of  the  text-book  of  agriculture  in  North  America. 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Report 
1903,  pp.  080-712.  A  chronological  bibliography  of  North  American  text- 
books of  agriculture  is  appended  to  a  discussion  of  this  subject. 

Banks,  X.  A  revision  of  the  Nearctic  Chrysopidse.  Transactions  of  the  Ameri- 
can Entomological  Society,  29  (1903),  No.  2,  pp.  137-162.  A  list  of  IS  refer- 
ences to  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  appended  to  the  article. 


21 

Babbacct,  O.  Summarischer  Berichl  Qber  die  wlehtlgsten  Itallenischen  Arbeiten 
ini  Gebiete  der  allegemelnen  Pathologie  and  pathologischeii  Anatomie,  er- 
scbienen  Ira  Jahre  1902  (Tbe  most  Importanl  [taliati  literature  on  general 
pathology  and  pathological  anatomy  published  in  1902).  Centralblatl  ffir 
Allgeraeine  Pathologie  und  Pathologische  Anatomie,  11  (1903),  No  l(i  17. 
pp.  673  709..  A  classified  list  is  presented  of  Italian  literature  published  In 
1902  relating  to  technique,  methods  of  Investigation,  tumors,  cell  structure, 
immunity,  Intoxications,  infectious  diseases,  organic  diseases,  etc.  A  brief 
abstracl  Is  given  of  the  more  importanl  works. 

Babthelat,  <;.  .J.  Les  mucorineeE  patbogenes  et  les  mucormycoses  chez  les 
animaux  et  chez  i'homme  (Pathogenic  molds  and  mucormycoses  in  animals 
and  man).  Archives  do  Parasitologic,  7  (1903),  No.  1.  pp.  5-116.  A  bib- 
liography of  72  titles  is  given  in  connection  with  <i  critical  review  of  the  lit- 
erature  of  the  subject 

Baumgabten,  I'.  von,  and  Targl,  F.  Jahresbericht  liber  die  Portschritte  in  der 
Lehre  von  (Um  patbogenen  Mikroorganismen,  190]  (Animal  report  on  prog- 
ress in  the  field  of  pathogenic  micro-organisms,  1901).  Leipzig:  s.  Hirzel, 
1903,  2.  AM.,  pp.  XII+111£  This  report  contains  extended  bibliographies 
relating  to  pathogenic  bacteria,  fungi,  and  protozoa,  together  with  brief 
abstracts  of  the  more  important  articles. 

Belli,  C.  M.  Die  Ernahrung  obne  Salz  und  ihre  Wirkungen  auf  den  Organis- 
liuis,  speziell  ant'  die  Assimilation  der  Nabnrigsmittel  und  auf  don  Stick- 
stoffwechsel  des  Menschen  (I Met  without  salt  and  its  effect  upon  the  body, 
especially  upon  the  assimilation  of  fond  and  the  metabolism  of  nitrogen  in 
mam.  Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologie,  4.1  (1903),  No.  2,  pp.  1N2-222.  A  list  of  29 
references  t:>  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  appended  to  the  article. 

Bissox,  E.  Elenco  di  pubblicazioni  attinenti  alia  bachicoltura,  che  vennero 
fuori  nel  corso  del  1902  e  L903  (List  of  publications  relating  to  sericulture 
issued  during  the  years  1902  and  1903).  Annuario  della  It.  Stazione  Baco- 
logica  di  Padova,  31  (1903),  pp.  119-139).  A  list  is  given  of  hooks  and 
•  periodical  articles  on  the  various  lines,  related  to  sericulture  as  published 
in  different  languages  during  1902  and  100.'). 

Bongebt,  J.  Beitrage  zur  Biologie  des  Milzbrandbacillus  und  sein  Nachweis  im 
Kadaver  der  grossen  Ilaustiere  I  Biology  of  the  anthrax  bacillus  and  its 
demonstration  in  the  carcasses  of  the  larger  domesticated  animals).  Cen- 
tralblatt  fiir  Bakteriologie,  Parasitenkunde,  und  Infektionskrankheiten,  l. 
Abt,  35  (1903),  No.  2.  Orig.,  pp.  108-201.  A  list  of  77  references  to  the 
literature  of  this  subject  is  given. 

Bkizi.  U.  Sulle  alterazioni  prodotte  alle  piante  coltivate  dalle  principali  eman- 
azioni  gasose  degli  stabilimeuti  industriali  (The  effect  of  gases  and  fumes 
upon  cultivated  plants).  Le  Stazioni  Sperimentali  Agrarie  Italiane.  3G 
|  190$),  No.  4-5.  pp.  270-384.  A  bibliography  of  101  titles  is  appended  to  the 
paper. 

Chapman,  F.  M.  The  economic  value  of  birds  to  the  State.  Albany:  New 
York  State  Forest,  Fish,  and  Game  Commission.  1903,  pp.  66.  A  brief  bib- 
liography of  articles  relating  to  the  food  of  American  birds  is  appended. 

Cobbens,  c.  Neue  Untersuchungen  auf  dem  Gebiet  der  Bastardirungslehre 
i  Recent  investigations  in  plant  hybridization).  Botanische  Zeitung,  <;l 
I  1903),  No.  s.  pp.  114-126.  A  list  of  22  references  to  the  literature  of  the 
subject  is  appended  to  the  article. 

I  01  iter,  J.  M.,  and  Chamberlain,  C.  J.  Morphology  of  angiosperms.  New 
York  :  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  1903,  pp.  X-j-348,  The  bibliographies,  which  are  an 
important  feature  of  the  work,  are  arranged  chronologically  at  the  end  of 
each  chapter,  and  all  the  citations  are  brought  together  at  the  close  of  the 
volume,  the  arrangement  being  alphabetical  by  authors. 

v.  D.  J.  A  few  good  hooks  and  bulletins  on  nature  study,  school  garden- 
ing, and  elementary  agriculture  lot-  common  vhonls.  i'.  s.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Circular  52,  pp.  4. 

Dandeno,  J.  B.     The  effects  of  water  and  aqueous  solutions  on  foliage  1< 

Transactions  of  the  Canadian  Institute.  7  (1902),  II.  No.  14,  pp.  237-350. 
A  bibliography  of  this  subject  is  appended  to  the  article  and  appears  on 
pages  346-350.     It  includes  107  titles. 

Dye,  L.  Sur  les  culicides  (Observations  on  the  Culicidse).  Archives  de  Para- 
sitologic. 0  (1902),  No.  3,  pp.  359-376.  The  literature  of  the  subject  is 
reviewed  in  connection  with  a  brief  bibliography. 

Enbiguez,  K..  and  SlCABD,  J.  A.  Les  oxydations  de  Forganisme  (Oxidations  in 
the  animal  organism).  Paris  :  J.  B.  Bailliere  &  Sons,  1002.  pp.  87.  A  bibli- 
ography of  the  subject  is  appended. 


22 

Fbuwibth,  C.  Referate  liber  neuere  Arbeiten  auf  dem  Gebiete  der  Pflanzen- 
ssfichtung  (References  to  recent  work  in  plant  breeding).  Journal  fur 
Landwirthschaft,  51  (1903),  Nos.  2,  pp.  223-230 :  4,  pp.  371-387.    References 

are  given  to  48  recent  articles  on  plant  breeding,  with  a  brief  abstract  of  the 
article  in  each  case. 

Gbeineb,  T.  The  new  onion  culture.  New  York:  Orange  Judd  Co..  19<>:'>.  rev. 
and  enl.  ed.,  pp.  112.  A  list  of  station  and  Department  publications  on 
onion  culture  is  appended. 

Guillebey,  J.  Qeber  den  epizootischen  Abortus  der  Stuten  (Epizootic  abortion 
in  mares  i.  Archiv  ffir  Wissenschaftliche  und  Praktische  Thierheilkunde, 
29  (1903),  No.  1-2,  pp.  37-68.  The  literature  of  this  subject  is  critically 
discussed  in  connection  with  a  bibliography  of  32  titles. 

EIemenway.  II.  D.  List  of  articles  published  on  school  gardens.  Transactions 
of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  1002,  II,  pp.  249-254.  The  list 
includes  65  articles. 

IIerrera,  A.  L.  Bibliograffa  relativa  a  los  insectos  que  destruyen  las  cortezas 
(A  bibliography  relating  to  insects  injurious  to  bark).  Boletm  de  la  Comi- 
sion  de  Parasitologfa  Agrfcola,  2  (1903),  No.  3.  pp.  104-114.  A  list  of  arti- 
cles largely  compiled  from  publications  of  this  Department. 

Hilger.  A.,  and  Dietrich,  T.,  et  al.  Jahresbericht  fiber  die  Fortschritte  auf 
dem  Gesamtgobiote  der  Agrikultur-Chemie,  1002  (Annual  report  of  the 
progress  in  agricultural  chemistry.  1902).  Berlin:  Paul  Parey,  1903,  pp. 
XXXVI  -i-  580. 

Hoffmann.  A.  Untersuchangen  tiber  den  Einfluss  der  Hetolbehandlung  auf  die 
Impftuberculose  der  Meerschweinehen  und  der  Kaninchen  (The  effect  of 
treatment  with  hetol  upon  inoculation  tuberculosis  of  guinea  pigs  and  rab- 
bits). Archiv  fiir  Wissenschaftliche  und  Praktische  Thierheilkunde,  30 
(1904),  Xo.  1-2,  pp.  1G2-187.  A  list  of  37  references  to  the  literature  of  the 
subject  is  appended  to  the  article. 

IlouLBERT,  G.  Les  insectes  ennemis  des  livres  (Insect  enemies  of  books). 
Paris:  Alphonse  Picard  &  Sons.  1903,  pp.  XXXYIIT  4-  2(59.  A  list  of  94 
references  to  the  literature  of  this  subject  is  given. 

Istvanffi,  G.  de.  Etudes  sur  le  rot  livide  de  la  vigne  (Studies  on  the  white  rot 
of  grapes).  Annales  de  l'lnstitut  Central  Ampelologique  Royal  Hongrois, 
2  (1902),  pp.  288.  Xumerous  footnote  references  are  given,  which  consti- 
tute a  very  extensive  bibliography  of  the  literature  of  the  subjects  treated. 

Kellerman.  W.  A.  Index  to  Xorth  American  mycology.  Journal  of  Mycology, 
10  (1904),  Nos.  71.  pp.  116-143;  72.  pp.  182-194;  73.  pp.  2r>l-2s:;.  An 
alphabetical  list  of  articles,  authors,  subjects,  new  species  and  hosN.  new 
names  and  synonyms  is  given  in  each  number  of  this  journal. 

Kirsten.  Die  Yarietaten  des  Bacillus  cedematis  maligni  (The  varieties  of  Ba- 
cillus oedematis  maligni).  Archiv  fiir  Wissenschaftliche  und  Praktische 
Thierheilkunde.  30  (1904).  Xo.  3,  pp.  223-200.  A  critical  review  of  the  lit- 
erature of  this  subject  with  an  extensive  bibliography. 

Kleptzov,  K.  Z.  K  voprosu  o  passivnom  immunitetye  pri  gemorragicheskikh 
septitzeniiyakh  (Passive  immunity  in  various  forms  of  hemorrhagic  septi- 
cemia). Archiv  Veterinarnuikh  Xauk.  St.  Petersburg,  83  (1903),  Xos.  6, 
pp.  553-581;  7,  pp.  685-700;  8,  pp.  781-815.  The  literature  relating  to 
swine  plague,  hemorrhagic  septicemia  in  cattle,  and  other  related  diseases 
is  critically  discussed,  in  connection  with  a  bibliography  including  07  titles. 

Klockek.  A.  Translated  by  G.  E.  Allan  and  J.  H.  Millar.  Fermentation 
organisms.  Xew  York  :  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  1903,  pp.  XX  4-  392.  A 
bibliography  of  the  more  important  works  relating  to  this  subject  is  given 
on  pages  347-381. 

Kossel,  II.,  et  al.  Vergleichende  Untersuchungen  fiber  Tuberkelbazillen  ver- 
schiedener  Ilerkunft  (Comparative  investigations  on  tubercle  bacilli  of 
different  origin).  Tuberkulose-Arbeiten  aus  dem  Kaiserlicben  Gesundheits 
amte,  1<.><)4.  Xo.  1.  pp.  1-82.  This  article  contains  a  bibliography  of  194 
titles. 

Kro.mi'eciiek,  E..  and  Zimmermann,  K.  Untersuchungen  fiber  die  Virulenz  der 
aus  verschiedenen  tuberkulbsen  Ilerden  des  Menschen  reingeziichteten 
Tuberkelbacillen  (The  virulence  of  tubercle  bacilli  in  pure  cultures  from 
tuberculous  foci  in  maul.  Centralblatt  fiir  P.akteriologie.  Parasitenkunde 
und  Infektionskrankheiten.  1.  Abt,  33  <19i!:'>).  Xo.  S.  Orig.,  pp.  580-607. 
A  list  of  18  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  appended  to  the 
article. 


23 

Lavinuvrh.  m.  Popuitka  lyecheniya  sa>a  i  Immuntzatzll  protiv  oego  y  kosbek 
i  morskiku  Bvinov  (Experiments  in  the  treatment  of  glanders  and  immuni- 
zation of  eats  and  guinea  pigs  against  this  disease).  Archiv  Veteri- 
uarnuikb  Nauk,  St  Petersburg,  38  (1903),  No.  3,  pp.  211-226.  A  list  of  34 
references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject  la  given. 

MacDougal,  I  >.  T.    The  Influence  of  liixht  and  darkness  upon  growtb  and  devel"- 
opment     Memoirs  of  the  Now  York  Botanical  Garden,  2  t  1903),  pp.  XIII  • 
319.    The  footnotes   Include  over  200  references  to  tho  literature  of  the 
subject 

Mabchal,  F.  Revue  des  travaus  de  pathologie  vegGtale,  1902  (Review  of  work 
on  vegetable  pathology,  1!»<»2».  Bulletin  Cercle  d'fitudes  des  Agronomes  de 
l'Ftat  [Brussels],  1903,  No.  8,  pp.  379  389.  A  review  of  the  literature  of 
this  subject,  to  which  a  list  ol*  49  references  is  appended. 

Merrill,  B.  I).  Botanical  work  in  the  Philippines.  Philippine  Bureau  of  Agri- 
culture Bulletin  4.  pp.  53.  A  list  of  the  more  important  hooks  relating  to 
this  subject  is  appended. 

Michael,  A.  I>.  British  TyroglyptiicUe.  London:  Hay  Society.  1903,  vol.  2. 
pp.  VI1  +  1N3.  A  list  of  the  prinicipal  hooks  and  papers  giving  Information 
relative  to  the  Tyroglyphidse. 

Moneallet,  D.  Bibliographie  abregee  des  infections  (Abridged  bibliography  of 
Infectious  diseases).  Paris  and  Santiago:  ('.  Goffi,  1903,  pp.  65.  In  this 
bibliography  the  author's  purpose  was  to  present  for  the  practical  investi- 
gator and  student  a  list  of  the  most  important  publications  relating  to  the 
various  infectious  diseases  of  animals  and  man.  The  numher  of  diseases 
on  which  bibliographies  are  presented,  is  ahout  90. 

Nasmtth,  <i.  G.  The  chemistry  of  wheat  gluten.  Transactions  of  the  Canadian 
Institute,  7  (1903)  ;  University  of  Toronto  Studies,  Physiological  Series, 
1903,  No.  4,  pp.  22.  A  list  of  35  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject 
is  appended. 

Nuttall,  G.  H.  F.  Blood  immunity  and  blood  relationship,  a  demonstration  of 
certain  blood  relationships  amongst  animals  by  means  of  precipitin  tests  for 
blood.  Cambridge:  University  Press.  1904,  pp.  XII  +  444.  The  literature 
relating  to  serum  constituents  and  immunity  is  critically  discussed  in  con- 
nection with  an  extensive  bibliography. 

Ottavi,  PI,  and  Marescalchi,  A.  Bibliographia  agronomica  universalis. 
Casale:  Ottavi  Bros.,  1903,  Nos.  2.  pp.  57-128;  3.  pp.  129-170:  4.  pp.  177-2d3. 
This  is  a  continuation  of  the  general  agricultural  bibliography  noted  in  the 
previous  report.  The  number  of  articles  noted  has  reached  2.094.  Articles 
in  Italian.  French.  German,  and  English  are  included. 

Panov,  N.  0  bugorchatkye  vuizuivaemoi  u  zhivotnuikh  mertvuimi  tuberkulez- 
nuimi  batzillami  (Tuberculosis  caused  by  dead  tubercle  bacilli).  Disserta- 
tion. Yuriev,  1902,  pp.  134.  The  literature  of  this  subject  is  critically 
reviewed  in  connection  with  a  bibliography  of  101  titles. 

Peirce,  G.  J.  A  text-book  of  plant  physiology.  New  York:  Henry  Holt  &  Co.. 
1903,  pp.  VI  +  291.  References  to  literature  given  in  footnotes  serve  as  a 
considerable  bibliography  of  the  subjects  treated. 

Phillips,  E>.  F.  A  review  of  parthenogenesis.  Proceedings  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society.  42  (1903),  No.  174.  pp.  275-345.  A  critical  review 
is  given  of  the  literature  of  this  subject  in  connection  with  an  extensive  list 
of  references. 

Phillips.  W.  F.  P.  Recent  papers  bearing  on  meteorology.  F.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture.  Weather  Bureau.  Monthly  Weather  Review.  ::i  (1903),  pp. 
334,  373,  413,  473.  521.  5G9. 

Preisz,  IF  Studien  fiber  Morphologic  und  Biologic  des  Milzbrandbacillus  (The 
morphology  and  biology  of  anthrax  bacillus).  Centralblatt  fiir  Bakteriolo- 
gie.  Parasitenkunde,  und  Infektionskrankheiten,  1.  Abt.,  .*'»•"»  (1904),  No.  *'». 
Grig.,  pp.  660-G61.     A  list  of  23  references  to  the  literature  of  this  subject 

PrescOTT,  S.  C,  and  WlNSLOW,  G.  F.  A.  Elements  of  water  bacteriology.  Xew 
York:  John  Wiley  &  Sons:  London:  Chapman  &  Hall.  Ltd.,  U»<»4.  pp. 
X  +  102.     A  list  of  180  references  To  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  given. 

Rabinowitsch,  Lydia,  and  KTeupner,  W.  Hie  Trypanosomen  in  ^j^v  JJenschen- 
und  Tiornathologio.  sewie  vcrgleichende  TrypanosomenuntersuehUJlgen 
( Trypanosoma ta  in  human  and  animal  pathology).  Centralblatt  fiir  Bak- 
teriologie,  Parasitenkunde.  und  Infektionskrankheiten,  F  Abt,  34  (1903) 
No.  s.  Originale,  pp.  804-822.  The  literature  relating  to  trypanosomata  is 
critically  reviewed  in  connection  with  a  bibliography  of  literature  published 
during  the  years  I898--1903      The  references  given  number  150. 


24 

Raudmtz,  R.  W.  Itestandteile,  Eigenschaften  uud  Veriinderungen  der  Milch 
(The  constituents  of  milk— their  properties  and  changes).  Ergebnisse  der 
Physiologic,  2  U903),  pp.  i h:;— :i^r>.  This  is  a  general  review  of  the  litera- 
ture of  this  subject,  the  bibliography  including  about  670  references. 

Regn,  II.  Der  P.akteriengehalt  des  von  Rauschbrand  befallenen  Muskelgewebes 
und  dor  Rauschbrandiinpfstoffe  (The  bacterial  content  of  muscle  tissue 
affected  with  blackleg  and  of  blackleg  vaccine).  Archiv  fin*  Wissenschaft- 
liche  und  Praktische  Tierheilkunde,  ::<>  (1904),  No.  3,  pp.  261-280.  A  brief 
bibliography  of  the  subject  is  appended  to  the  article. 

Schmidt,  A.  Die  Zeckenkrankheit  der  Kinder — Haemoglobinsemia  ixodioplas- 
niatica  bouin — in  Deutsch-,  English-Ostafrika  und  Uganda  (The  tick  disease 
of  cattle  (ha?moglobina?mia  ixodioplasniatica  bourn)  in  German  and  English 
East  Africa  and  Uganda).  Archiv  fur  Wissenschaftliche  und  Praktische 
Thierheilkunde,  30  (1904),  No.  1-2,  pp.  42-301,  The  literature  of  this  sub- 
ject is  discussed  with  reference  to  a  bibliography  of  221  titles. 

Schmoegeb,  M.  Presslinge,  Diffusionsschnitzel,  Melasse  (Beet  diffusion  residue 
and  molasses).  Die  Landwirtschaftlichen  Versuchs-Stationen,  59  (1903), 
No.  1  -2,  pp.  83-155.  Numerous  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject 
are  given  in  footnotes. 

Seelig-maxn,  T..  Torrilhox,  G.  L.,  and  Falconnet,  H.  Translated  by  J.  G.  Mc- 
intosh. India  rubber  and  gutta-percha.  London:  Scott.  Greenwood  &  Co., 
1903,  pp.  XI+402.  A  bibliography  of  404  references  to  the  literature  of  the 
subject  is  given  on  pages  385-396. 

Sergen-t,  E.  La  lutte  contre  les  moustiques  (The  warfare  against  mo'squitos). 
Paris:  J.  Rueff,  1903,  pp.  96.  The  literature  relating  to  methods  for  exter- 
minating mosquitoes  is  discussed,  and  a  list  of  110  references  given. 

Stiles.  C.  W.,  and  Hassall,  A.  Index-catalogue  of  medical  and  veterinary 
zoology.  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry 
Bulletin  39,  part  0.  pp.  437-510.  This  part  of  the  bulletin  includes  authors 
whose  names  begin  with  the  letter  F. 

Streit,  II.  I  ntersuchungen  iiber  die  Gefliigeldiphtherie  (Fowl  diphtheria). 
Zeitschrift  fur  Hygiene  und  Iufectionskrankheiten.  40  (1904),  No.  3.  pp. 
407-402.  A  list  of  46  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  appended 
to  the  article. 

Stutzer.  A.  Die  Behaudlung  und  Anwendung  des  Stalldiingers  (The  manage- 
ment and  use  of  barnyard  manure).  Berlin  :  Paul  Parey,  1903.  2.  ed.  enl.,  pp. 
VIII4-168.     A  list  of  102  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  given. 

Swithinbank,  H.,  and  Newman,  G.  Bacteriology  of  milk.  London:  John 
Murray,  1903,  pp.  XX  -f  005.  Numerous  references  to  the  literature  of  this 
subject  are  given  in  footnotes. 

Texnert.  Leber  Trichorrhexis  nodosa  mit  spezieller  Beriicksichtigung  der 
Aetiologie  und  Therapie  {Trichorrhexis  nodosa,  with  special  regard  to  its 
etiology  and  treatment).  Zeitschrift  fur  Veterinarkunde,  14  (1902),  No. 
8-9.  pp.  301-372.     A  brief  bibliography  is  appended  to  the  article. 

Thiele,  R.  General-Register  der  Hygienischen  Rundschau.  Band  I-X.  1891- 
1900  (Index  to  Ilygieiiische  Rundschau,  volumes  1-10.  1891-1900).  Berlin: 
August  Hirschwald,  1904.  pp.  432. 

Tbink-  und  Gebbatjchswassee  (  Water  used  for  drinking  and  similar  purposes  ). 
Zeitschrift  fur  Intersuchung  der  Nahrungs  und  Genussmittel,  0  (1903), 
Xo.  22.  pp.  1040-1059.  Brief  abstracts  of  and  references  to  GO  recent  articles 
relating  to  this  subject. 

Vaxdevelde,  A.  J.  J.  Repertoire  des  travaux  publics  sur  la  composition,  l'ana- 
lyse  et  les  falsifications  des  dendrees  alimentaires  pendant  l'annee  1902 
(Review  of  the  literature  of  composition,  analysis,  and  adulteration  of  foods 
for  the  year  1902),  Separate  from  Bulletin  du  Service  de  surveillance  de  la 
Fabrication  et  du  Commerce  des  Dendrees  Alimentaires.  1903.  pp.  95.  This 
contains  091  references  and  is  the  third  volume  on  this  subject. 

Yiala.  1*.,  and  Ravaz.  L.  American  vines  :  their  adaptation,  culture,  grafting, 
and  propagation.  San  Francisco:  California  Wine  Assoc.  1903,  pp.  299. 
A  bibliography  of  the  writings  of  72  authors  is  contained  in  the  appendix. 

Vincent,  J.  Notes  bibliographiques  sur  les  nuages — classification  et  nomencla- 
ture (Bibliographic  notes  on  clouds — classification  and  nomenclature).  An- 
nuaire  meteorologique  pour  1903.  Brussels:  Observatoire  Royal  de  Bel- 
gique,  1903.  pp.  4::o-419. 

Waterhouse,  F.  II.  Catalogue  of  the  library  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  Lon- 
don. London:  Taylor  and  Francis.  1902,  5.  ed.,  pp.  850.  Titles  are  given 
of  about  11,000  works  in  the  library  of  the  Zoological  Society,  together  with 
a  list  of  periodicals  received. 


25 

Weber,  a.,   and   Bofinqeb,   H.     Die   Hlitanertuberkulose    (Avian    tubercul 

Tuberkulose-Arbeiten  aus  dem  Kaiserliehen  Gesundbeitsamte,   1904,   No.   l. 
pp.  83  158.     A  bibliography  of  183  tit lrs  is  appended  to  this  article. 

Weigmann,  Hoft,  and  Gbubeb.  Fortschritte  auf  dem  Gebiete  <l<'i-  Chemie, 
Hygiene,  and  Bakteriologie  der  Milch  and  Ihrer  Erzeugnisse  (Progress  in 
the  field  of  the  chemistry,  hygiene,  and  bacteriology  of  milk  and  its  prod- 
ucts). Chemiker  Zeitung,  28  (1904),  No.  19,  pp.  229-232.  A  summary  oi 
the  literature  during  1903,  128  references  being  siven  in  footnotes. 

Ziiu.  a.  Die  Carpalbeule  d-'s  Etindes  und  ihre  Behandlung  (Bursal  enlarge 
incuts  upon  the  carpus  of  cattle  and  their  treatment).  Archiv  Rir  Wissen- 
schaftliche  und  Praktischc  Tliierheilkunde.  l!(.>  (1903),  No.  5,  pp.  445  175. 
A  critical  discussion  of  the  literature  of  this  BUbject,  with  a  bibliography 
of  81  titles. 

The  report  was  accepted. 

Collective  College  and  Station-  Exhibit  at  St.  Louis. 

W.  II.  Jordan,  chairman,  submitted  the  following  report  of  the  committee  in 
charge  of  the  collective  exhibit  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Col- 
leges and  Experiment  Stations  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition: 

Y«»ur  committee  deems  it  expedient  at  this  time  to  make  only  a  comparatively 
brief  report  of  the  results  of  its  labors.  It  is  impossible  to  present  now  a  com- 
plete and  final  report  of  the  exhibit  under  our  charge.  As  the  exhibit  is  cer- 
tainly worthy  of  an  extended  report  commensurate  with  the  extent  and  dignity 

Of  the  display  which  has  been  made  of  the  work  of  the  institutions  represented, 
we  feel  that  its  preparation  must  be  delayed  until  the  final  completion  of  all 
matters  coming  under  our  jurisdiction.  Our  purpose,  therefore,  at  this  time,  is 
simply  to  lay  before  you  a  few  general  facts  summarizing  the  results  of  the 
effort  which  you  placed  in  our  hands. 

In  the  first  place,  the  committee  desires  to  express  its  gratification  at  the  out- 
come of  the  decision  to  locate  the  main  portion  of  this  exhibit  as  a  unit  in  the 
Palace  of  Education.  Considerable  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  upon  us  in 
favor  i  f  locating  the  agricultural  part  of  the  exhibit  in  the  Agricultural 
Building,  but  your  committee  was  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  there  is  no 
good  reason  why  agricultural  education  should  maintain  its  class  relations  any 
more  than  instruction  in  the  principles  of  steam  or  electrical  engineering.  Pre- 
vious exposition  displays  of  the  work  of  the  agricultural  departments  of  the  col- 
leges and  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  have  been  located  in  the  Agri- 
cultural Pudding,  and  so,  for  the  first  time,  the  work  of  these  institutions  has 
taken  its  rightful  place  among  the  great  educational  efforts  of  our  nation,  and 
in  this  way  has  secured  a  recognition  that  otherwise  would  not  have  be  * 
possible. 

There  is  one  feature  of  this  exhibit  which  we  believe  to  be  worthy  of  com- 
ment It  was  not  a  "  show  '*  exhibit.  Mere  beauty  or  novelty  of  display  was 
not  the  main  object  sought.  While  every  reasonable  effort  was  put  forth  to 
make  it  attractive  in  its  design,  arrangement,  and  coloring,  the  materials  which 
wore  selected  for  display  were  those  which  are  in  actual  use  for  the  purposes 
of  instruction  in  the  various  departments  of  our  land-grant  colleges,  or  those 
which  represent  with  as  much  realism  as  possible  the  actual  practical  results 
of  research.  We  are  glad  to  have  been  assured  that  the  exhibit  was  found 
profitable  for  study  on  the  part  of  the  real  seekers  after  information,  and  that 
it  impressed  itself  upon  intelligent  observers  ,-is  a  worthy  and  consistent  expo- 
sition of  certain  features  of  education  and  research  in  the  relations  of  science 
to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts. 

INSTALLATION  AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  EXHIBIT. 

The  exhibit  in  the  Palace  of  Education  has  been  installed  practically  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  plan  presented  to  the  association  in  the  report  of  your  com- 
mittee at  the  meeting  of  this  association  in  1903.  Fifty-one  institutions  are  rep- 
resented. In  the  preparation  of  the  various  sections  24  experts  generously  as- 
sisted, who  discharged  their  duties  in  a  manner  highly  satisfactory  to  the  com- 
mittee. The  explanation  of  the  Palace  of  Education  exhibit  to  the  visiting  pub- 
lic has  been  accomplished  by  the  use  of  expert  demonstrators,  generally  students 
or  graduates  of  some  land-grant  college.  *  being  on  duty  at  one  time. 


26 

The  Dumber  of  persons  appointed  to  positions  of  one  kind  or  another  in  con- 
nection  with  the  exhibit  as  a  whole  and  paid  from  the  appropriation,  either  tor 
services  or  traveling  expenses,  has  been  290,  divided  as  follows: 

Members  of  the  committee 9 

Experts  in  charge  of  sections 24 

Expert  demonstrators,  inside  exhibit 2»; 

Experts  connected  with  outside  exhibit 17 

Lecturers  connected  with  outside  exhibit 31 

students  used  in  outside  exhibit  demonstration 50 

Officers  of  administration,  clerks,  stenographers,  Janitors,  guards,  etc 73 

Total     230 

This  seems  to  be  a  large  force,  but  is  really  the  smallest  number  with  which  it 
has  been  feasible  to  install  and  maintain  the  exhibit  as  a  real  and  live  demon- 
stration of  our  work.  Your  committee  has  used  every  reasonable  effort  to  hold 
the  expenses  for  such  services  to  the  lowest  possible  practicable  point.  It  should 
be  noted  that  when  any  expenditure  was  involved,  no  matter  how  brief  the  serv- 
ice, even  if  but  for  a  day.  an  appointment  by  the  Government  board  has  been 
3sary,  so  that  the  number  of  appointments  is  more  formidable  than  the 
actual  expense  connected  therewith. 

EXPENDITURES. 

The  financial  situation  is  gratifying.  Dp  to  October  24  the  expenditures  were 
approximately  the  following: 

Preparation  and  collection  of  exhibit $19,527.48 

Installation    27.  4:;i».  06 

Maintenance    8,  650.  75 

Administration   15,388.01 

Total 71,005.  29 

It  is  clear  that  the  expenditures  for  the  exhibit  will  come  well  within  the 
appropriation.  In  fact,  it  now  seems  likely  that  there  will  be  an  unexpended 
balance,  a  result  neither  anticipated  nor  desired  by  your  committee.  This  is  to 
some  extent  due  to  the  fact  that  the  expenditures  for  the  outside  exhibit  in 
plant  breeding  and  animal  husbandry  were  less  than  was  planned.  Difficulties 
which  need  not  be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  ami  for  which  your  committee 
does  not  hold  itself  responsible,  were  encountered  in  arranging  for  the  outside 
exhibit,  and  it  was  only  by  the  most  strenuous  efforts  that  this  portion  of  our 
display  was  finally  accomplished,  and  as  a  general  result  the  demonstration  work 
of  this  division  was  necessarily  abridged,  the  first  period  of  two  weeks,  or  one- 
third  the  whole  time  planned,  being  necessarily  omitted  entirely. 

THE    OUTSIDE    EXHIBIT. 

The  outside  exhibit,  as  stated,  was  accomplished  only  after  overcoming  serious 
ditiiculties  :  nevertheless  it  should  be  regarded  as  a  useful  and  important  feature. 
It  covered  demonstration  work  in  plant  breeding,  corn  judging,  stock  judging, 
and  slaughter  tests  displaying  the  results  of  experiments  in  the  feeding  of  ani- 
mals. These  demonstrations  occupied  two  periods,  the  first  extending  from 
September  11  to  September  24.  inclusive,  and  the  second  from  October  3  to 
October  16,  inclusive.  Approximately  50  lectures  were  given  during  these 
periods  by  specialists  on  topics  directly  related  to  the  subjects  above  mentioned, 
and  in  displaying  methods  of  instruction  50  students  collected  from  various 
institutions  were  in  attendance  on  the  exhibit  from  time  to  time. 

RECOGNITION    OF    EXHIBIT. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  claim  that  this  exhibit  in  all  its  divisions  has  been  fairly 
■ssfol.     This  is  evident  both  from  the  remarks  which  have  been  made  con- 
cerning: it  by  competent  judges  as  well  as  from  the  awards  granted  by  th< 


27 

oral  juries.  These  awards,  exclusive  of  those  granted  to  collaborators,  are  as 
follows  : 

Grand  prizes    -I 

Gold    medals    41 

Silver   medals    .".."» 

Bronze  medals  38 

Total    135 

EXPLOITATION  OF  THE  WORK  OF  THE  COLLEGES  AM)  stations. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  your  committee,  held  on  June  27,  1004,  a  somewhat 
unusual  plan  was  adopted,  but  it  is  hoped  an  eilieient  and  useful  one,  for  exploit- 
ing the  work  of  the  institutions  represented  in  this  exhibit  At  that  time  ar 
rangements  were  perfected  with  a   magazine  writer  of  recognized  ability  to 

present  various  phases  of  our  work  in  some  of  the  leading  magazines  of  this 
and  other  countries,  the  exhibit  itself  being  made  the  occasion  of  these  articles 
and  the  center  around  which  they  are  to  he  grouped.  While  none  of  those 
articles  have  as  yet  appeared,  they  are  in  the  process  of  preparation  ;  and  arrange- 
ments are  definitely  made  with  leading  magazines  for  the  publishing  of  a  por- 
tion of  them.  It  is  hoped  that  in  this  way  we  may  he  able  to  reach  that  part  of 
the  intelligent  public,  which  now  knows  very  little  about  our  work,  with  digni- 
fied and  interesting  discussions  of  what  we  are  now  doing  and  of  the  bearing  of 
our  educational  and  research  efforts  upon  the  social  and  economic  interests  of 
this  country. 

THE   DISPOSAL  OF   THE  EXHIBIT. 

The  next  important  question  to  be  considered  is  what  shall  be  the  fate  of  this 
exhibit  which  has  cost  so  much  effort  and  money.  There  seems  to  be  a  desire 
on  the  part  of  some  that  it  shall  somehow  be  preserved  in  a  permanent  form  to 
be  enlarged  and  improved  as  time  and  occasion  permit.  It  is  also  suggested 
that  it  be  preserved  for  utilization  at  other  expositions  in  this  and  foreign  coun- 
tries. The  various  articles  may  also  be  returned,  with  the  consent  of  the  Gov- 
ernment board,  to  the  institutions  furnishing  or  preparing  them.  The  final  dis- 
posal of  the  exhibit  is  a  matter  which  your  committee  will  have  to  consider  at 
no  very  distant  date,  concerning  which  we  desire  your  advice  and,  if  necessary, 
your  instructions. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

Tour  committee  deems  it  a  pleasure  to  record  in  this  connection  its  hearty 
appreciation  of  the  pleasant  relations  which  have  existed  between  it  and  the 
Government  board  from  the  beginning  of  our  official  connection.  Throughout 
all  this  time  this  board  has  given  to  your  committee  the  most  prompt  and  effi- 
cient support.  The  thanks  of  the  association  are  due  to  the  honorable  Secretary 
of  Agriculture  and  to  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  under  his  charge  for 
indispensable  aid  in  organizing  the  exhibit  in  many  of  its  details.  We  are  also 
under  deep  obligations  to  the  officials  of  the  Exposition,  especially  to  Mr.  H.  J. 
Rogers,  chief  of  the  Palace  of  IOducation,  for  the  facilities  which  have  been 
placed  at  our  disposal  and  for  the  uniform  courtesy  with  which  we  have  been 
treated.  The  loyal  support  of  the  institutions  represented  in  this  association 
has  been  a  main  factor  in  the  success  of  our  exhibit,  and  we  desire  to  especially 
recognize  the  aid  of  those  institutions  which  have  so  generously  donated  the 
time  and  services  of  men  and  which  have  contributed  to  the  preparation  of 
materials  for  display.  Without  such  support  from  certain  colleges  and  stations 
your  committee  would  have  been  unable  to  perform  the  duties  devolving  upon  it. 
Your  committee  deems  it  a  pleasure  to  recognize  in  this  public  way  the  able 
services  of  Mr.  James  L.  Farmer,  chief  special  agent  of  the  Government  board, 
who  has  managed  the  business  affairs  of  the  exhibit  with  singular  tact  and 
efficiency. 

W.  H.  Jordan. 

For  the  Committee. 

On  motion  the  report  was  accepted,  and  the  committee  was  authorized  to  take 
steps,  under  regulations  established  by  the  Government  board,  to  close  up  and 
dispose  of  the  exhibit. 


28 

Communication  from  National  Association  of  State  Universities. 

The  chairmaD  of  the  exeeutiye  committee  read  the  following  communication 
from  the  National  Association  of  state  Universites: 

The  National  Association  of  State  Universities  ID  annual  meeting  assembled 
sends  fraternal  greetings  to  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges 
and  Experiment  Stations,  and  begs  to  express  its  friendly  sentiment  and  its 
coi-dial  good  wishes  for  a  pleasant  and  profitable  session,  and  to  venture  the 
hope  that  these  two  associations  through  their  annual  meetings  may  he  greatly 
instrumental  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the  highest  and  the  higher  liberal  pro- 
fessional and  technical  education  in  the  United  States. 

G.  E.  MacLean,   President. 

Georoe  E.   Fellows,  Secretary. 

Uniform  Fertilizer  and  Feeding  Stuff  Legislation. 

H.  J.  Wheeler,  chairman,  presented  the  following  report  of  the  committee  on 
this  subject: 

In  the  course  of  the  past  year  your  committee,  as  heretofore,  has  been  in  cor- 
respondence with  parties  in  several  States  who  were  interested  in  the  passage 
of  new  fertilizer  laws  or  in  the  amendment  of  existing  ones. 

Arizona,  Idaho,  New  Mexico,  Nevada,  Montana,  Wyoming,  and  Utah  have  not 
yet  felt  the  necessity  of  legislation  in  this  line.  In  Colorado  and  Arkansas 
recent  attempts  to  pass  such  laws  have  been  defeated.  The  following  reports 
have  been  received  from  some  of  the  other  States: 

Ex-Director  Huston,  of  Indiana,  reports  that  the  existence  of  the  recommenda- 
tions of  this  association  was  of  much  assistance  in  connection  with  steps  taken 
to  amend  the  old  fertilizer  law  in  that  State.  The  law  as  enacted  was  made  to 
correspond  to  the  recommendations  in  certain  particulars,  and  the  other  points 
were  practically  all  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  executive  officer,  thus  rendering 
it  possible  to  make  rules  in  accordance  with  the  recommendations. 

Professor  Ladd,  of  North  Dakota,  reports  that  at  the  last  session  of  the  legis- 
lature in  that  State  a  fertilizer  law  was  enacted  and  that  the  bill  was  drawn 
in  accordance  with  the  recommendations  of  this  association,  which,  he  says,  were 
very  helpful  in  the  preparation  of  the  bill  "  and  in  securing  the  necessary  legis- 
lative action  thereon." 

R.  E.  Rose,  State  chemist,  Tallahassee,  Fla.,  writes  that  the  law  in  that  State 
has  recently  been  amended  to  conform,  in  so  far  as  possible,  with  the  recom- 
mendations concerning  uniformity.  He  adds  that  the  recommendations  were 
of  material  service. 

Prof.  F.  B.  Mumford,  of  Missouri,  reports  that  the  law  in  that  State  has  been 
amended  recently  and  that  the  recommendations  were  of  "  much  assistance." 

President  McBryde,  of  Virginia,  reported,  July  4,  1903.  that  changes  in  the  law 
in  that  State  were  then  being  considered  and  that  amendments  in  the  line  of 
the  recommendations  were  being  urged.  In  conclusion  he  says :  "  It  follows, 
therefore,  that  your  recommendations  will  be  helpful  in  securing  the  legislation 
needed." 

Director  Armsby  reports  that  the  recently  amended  law  of  Pennsylvania  con- 
forms very  largely  in  substance  to  the  recommendations. 

Director  Soule,  of  Tennessee,  states  that  a  new  law  was  passed  in  that  State 
in  April,  1903.  The  law  was  drawn  with  the  object  of  making  it  conform  with 
the  recommendations  of  the  associations,  but  a  few  amendments  were  made 
not  in  harmony  therewith  which  it  is  believed  weakened  the  law.  He  adds 
that  it  is  hoped  later  to  secure  such  amendments  as  will  make  the  law  conform 
to  the  original  draft,  and  that  "  had  it  not  been  for  the  existence  of  the  recom- 
mendations it  would  probably  not  have  been  possible  to  secure  the  passage  of 
the  present  law." 

Director  J.  F.  Duggar,  of  Alabama,  writes,  under  date  of  July  7,  that  in  that 
State  "  the  old  law  has  been  replaced  this  year  by  a  new  one  which  embodies 
the  recommendations  of  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and 
Experiment  Stations  and  of  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists," 
and  that  "  the  recommendations  alluded  to  have  had  much  weight  in  securing 
the  revision  of  legislation  along  this  line." 

After  careful  consideration  of  the  subject  your  committee  submits  the  fol- 
lowing recommendations  regarding  laws  regulating  the  sale  of  feeding  stuffs : 


29 

(1)  That  for  tlio  purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  feeding-stuff  Inspec- 
tion Hif  State  should  preferably  make  Q  direct  appropriation. 

(2)  Thai  the  following  materials  should  be  exempt  from  the  provisions  of 
feeding-stuff  laws:  Hays  and  Btraws  and  whole  unmixed  seeds,  such  as  wheat, 
rye.  barley.  <»ats.  Indian  corn,  buckwheat,  broom  corn,  peas,  and  the  unmixed 

meals  of  the  entire  grains  Of  BUCh  seeds. 

(3)  The   term   "concentrated    feeding  stuff"   should   Include   linseed    meals, 

COtton-Seed    meals,    cottonseed    feeds.    |  tea    meals,    eoeoanut    meals,    gluten    meals, 

gluten    feeds,   maize   \\'^\-<.   starch   \'vn\s.   sugar   foods,   dried   brewers'   grains, 

dried  distillers'  grains,  malt   sprouts,   hominy   feeds,  eoroaline  foods,  germ   Pods. 

rice  meals,  oat  foods,  corn  and  oa1  chops,  corn  and  oat  foods,  corn  bran,  ground 
hoof  or  fish  scraps,  condimental  foods,  poultry  foods,  stock  foods,  patented  pro- 
prietary or  trade-marked  stock  and  poultry  foods,  and  all  other  materials  of  a 
similar  nature  not  included  in  section  2  above.  Where  practicable  the  by- 
products from  the  milling  of  wheat,  rye.  and  buckwheat  should  be  Included 
under  the  requirements  of  the  laws. 

(4)  That  a  legible  printed  statement  should  ho  affixed  to  or  printed  on  each 
package  containing  a  feeding  stuff  named  in  section  ."».  giving  the  net  welghl  of 
the  package,  the  name  and  address  of  the  manufacturer  or  importer,  the  name, 
brand,  or  trade-mark  under  which  the  article  is  sold,  and  the  guaranteed 
analysis  showing  the  percentage  of  crude  protein  and  of  crude  fat  and  a 
maximum  of  fiber  which  shall  not  be  exceeded. 

The  law  should  provide  that  the  chemical  analysis,  including  determinations 
Of  crude  liber,  crude  protein,  and  crude  fat.  shall  be  made  by  the  official 
methods  of  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists. 

If  the  feeding  stuff  is  sold  in  bulk  or  put  up  in  packages  belonging  to  the 
purchaser,  the  agent  or  dealer  shall  furnish  him  with  a  certified  statement  of 
the  net  weight  of  the  lot.  the  name  and  address  of  the  manufacturer  or  importer, 
the  brand  or  trade-mark  under  which  said  article  was  sold,  and  the  percentage 
of  crude  protein  and  crude  fat  which  said  article  is  guaranteed  to  contain  as 
determined  by  the  official  methods  of  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural 
Chemists. 

I  5 )  That  a  certified  copy  of  the  statement  in  section  -1,  above,  be  filed  with 
the  executive  officer  each  year. 

((5)  That  the  law  should  contain  a  penalty,  by  fines  only,  for  violations  of  its 
provisions.    ' 

The  committee  recommends  to  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Col- 
leges and  Experiment  Stations  the  adoption  of  the  recommendations  1  to  6,  in- 
clusive, with  the  suggestion  that  this  or  some  other  committee  should  be 
instructed  to  use  its  efforts  to  secure  the  end  in  view  by  using  its  influence  to  aid 
in  securing  uniform  legislation  in  the  several  States. 

H.  J.  Wheeler. 
Chas.  D.  Woods, 
E.  II.  Jenkins, 
H.  P.  Arm  shy. 
M.  A.  Scovell, 

Committee. 

H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island.  At  the  meeting  last  year  your  committee 
made  certain  recommendations  in  regard  to  feeding-stuff  laws  in  the  United 
States.  This  recommendation  went  to  the  section  on  agriculture  and  chemistry, 
and  was  referred  to  the  general  session,  and  owing  to  objections  which  were 
made  to  one  clause  it  was  referred  again  to  your  committee.  The  committee 
begs  leave  to  report  the  recommendations  made  last  year  with  the  modification 
of  section  1.  Section  1  read  last  year :  "  That  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the 
expenses  of  feeding-stuff  inspection  the  State  should  make  a  direct  appropria- 
tion, or  where  this  is  impracticable  a  brand  tax  should  be  levied.  In  view  of  the 
experience  of  Maine  and  Vermont  a  tonnage  tax  is  not  to  be  recommended." 

Your  committee  now  recommends  that  this  read  as  follows :  "  That  for  the 
purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  feeding-stuff  inspection  the  State  should 
preferably  make  a  direct  appropriation."  In  other  respects  the  recommenda- 
tions stand  exactly  as  they  did  last  year. 

One  other  matter  was  referred  to  your  committee,  a  communication  received 
from  Doctor  Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  which  I  believe  was  presented  to  the  section 


30 

on  agriculture  and  chemistry:  **  Shall  we  say  ammonia  or  nitrogen,  phosphoric 
ai  i<l  or  phosphorus,  potash  or  potassium?" 

rour  committee  held  a  meeting  in  March.  1904.  in  New  York,  at  which  various 
matters  were  under  consideration,  and  at  that  time  it  was  deemed  by  the  com- 
mit tee  Inadvisable,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  the  States  had 
passed  laws  using  the  terms  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  to  go  back  and  undo  all 
that  work  and  change  to  potassium  and  phosphorus. 

C.  <;.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois.  This  matter  of  the  terms  to  he  used  in  connection 
with  fertilizers,  as  well  as  in  stating  analyses  of  other  matters,  as  soils  and  ash, 
Is  now  also  being  considered  by  the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chem- 
ists, having  been  taken  up  by  that  association  at  the  St.  Louis  meeting.  A  com- 
mittee has  been  appointed  by  that  association  to  consider  the  entire  question  of 
nomenclature  of  such  materials  as  require  chemical  analysis  and  statement  of 
the  constituents  found,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to- see  final  action  taken  by  this 
association  at  this  time.  It  seems  to  me  it  would  be  well  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  act  jointly  with  the  committee  from  that  association  to  bring  in  a 
joint  report  at  our  next  annual  meeting,  rather  than  to  take  any  final  action  at 
This  time.  I  think  our  first  duty  as  an  association  is  to  the  American  farmer. 
The  thing  which  will  ultimately  be  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  American 
agriculturist  is  the  thing  we  should  do.  I  realize  we  have  considerable  litera- 
ture pertaining  to  soils  and  fertilizers  in  America,  and  that  we  have  quite  a 
diversified  system  of  naming  the  three  principal  constituents  of  fertilizers.  In 
the  literature  in  perhaps  one-third  of  the  States  they  say  ammonia,  and  in 
two-thirds  of  the  States  they  now  say  nitrogen,  under  State  laws.  In  nearly 
all  the  State  literature  we  see  phosphoric  acid  when  phosphorus  pentoxid  is 
meant,  although  in  any  of  the  other  sciences — such  as  pharmacy  and  medicine — 
when  they  say  phosphoric  acid  they  mean  that.  The  literature  which  comes 
from  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  says  potassium,  and  not  potash,  and 
it  says  P04  instead  of  P205,  so  there  is  by  no  means  perfect  harmony  in  the 
conditions  we  now  have.  It  has  seemed  to  me  the  longer  I  have  studied  the 
question  of  soils  and  fertilizers  the  more  necessary  it  is  that  we  simplify  this 
unnecessarily  complicated  situation.  I  suppose  many  of  you  have  tried  to 
explain  to  the  practical  common-sense  farmer  why  it  is  we  pay  for  potash  (K20) 
when  we  buy  potassium  as  chlorid  (KC1).  That  is,  we  value  potassium  chlorid 
on  the  basis  of  potassium  oxid,  although  there  is  no  potassium  oxid  in  potassium 
chlorid.  In  my  own  experience  I  have  found  that  the  situation  becomes 
ridiculous  to  the  common-sense  farmer,  and  scientists  are  responsible  for  it. 
We  persist  because  it  would  require  a  little  extra  clerical  work  to  go  over  our 
records  and  make  some  changes.  Surely  we  must  do  the  thing  which  is  sim- 
plest for  the  practical  man.  American  agriculture  is  going  to  advance  as  the 
farmer  understands  the  business. 

H.  J.  Wheeler.  I  wish  to  say  that  the  committee  is  in  most  hearty  accord 
with  Doctor  Hopkins  in  his  idea  of  simplifying  matters.  But  this  association 
and  the  association  of  chemists  made  certain  recommendatons  a  number  of 
years  ago  and  both  have  been  working  hand  in  hand  to  secure  the  adoption 
of  laws  in  the  various  States  in  accordance  with  a  certain  line  of  uniformity, 
and  many  of  the  States  of  the  Union  have  already,  after  long  effort,  been 
persuaded  to  change  their  laws  in  accordance  with  those  recommendations. 
To  make  any  change  to-day  would  mean  to  undo  all  we  have  done  in  the  last 
eight  or  ten  years.  It  is  quite  another  proposition  to  take  up  the  matter  of 
nomenclature  in  regard  to  ordinary  station  work.  I  therefore  move  that  the 
matter  of  the  nomenclature  used  in  the  reporting  of  experiment  station  work 
be  referred  to  the  section  on  experiment  station  work  for  their  consideration. 

The  motion  was  carried.     (See  p.  117.) 


31 

.Ml  i  HODS    "l     Si  i  D   Tl  8  I  I  NO. 

E.  11.  Jenkins,  chairman  of  tbe  standing  committee  on  seed  testing,  submitted 
the  follow  Ing  repoi  t : 

since  the  last  meeting  of  the  association  the  committee  has  submitted  its 
L*evisiou  of  ibe  rules  for  seed  testing  to  a  number  of  those  Interested  la  the  work 
for  further  suggestions,  and  the  Qua!  revision  of  the  worli  has  been  printed 
and  distributed  by  the  Office  of  Experiment  stations  as  Circular  No.  .";i.  revised, 
i»i>.  24,  with  the  title — Rules  and  Apparatus  for  Seed  Testing.  It  is  the  hope 
of  the  committee  that  the  aiethods  prescribed  will  commend  themselves  to  those 
who  arc  engaged  in  seed  testing  and  he  adopted  by  them. 

The  committee  will  gratefully  receive  any  criticism  of  the  methods  or  sugges- 
tions  for  their  improvement. 
All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

i'..  II.  Jenkins,  <'h<ii>  man. 

V.  \v.  Cabd. 

\Y.  It.  Lazenby. 

E.  Bbown. 

A.  D.  Sua  mel. 

The  report  was  accepted. 

Military  Instruction. 

The  following  report  was  received  from  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
this  subject  through  the  chairman  of  the  executive  committee: 

Several  matters  of  special  interest  to  all  the  institutions  were  referred  to 
this  committee  by  the  convention  at  its  last  annual  meeting,  but  as  they 
appear  upon  the  printed  programme  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them  here.  They 
involve  matters  of  the  very  highest  importance  to  all  the  colleges  in  the  asso 
Ciation,  and  I  may  he  permitted  at  the  outset  to  express  my  deep  regret  that  I 
am  compelled  to  make  only  a  brief  and  incomplete  report.  During  all  the  early 
part  of  the  year  the  condition  of  my  health  was  such  as  to  keep  me  under  a 
physician's  care  for  several  months;  during  which  time  I  was  able  to  perform 
only  a  small  part  of  my  own  regular  duties,  and  the  only  outside  matters  to 
which  I  gave  the  slightest  attention  were  in  connection  with  meetings  of  the 
executive  committee  of  this  association.  This  word  of  explanation  is  due  to 
my  associates  as  well  as  to  myself,  and  I  hope  the  personal  allusion  may  he 
pardoned.  In  any  case,  it  is  difficult  to  secure  meetings  of  a  committee  the 
members  of  which  are  so  widely  scattered,  and  especially  when  those  meetings, 
in  order  to  he  productive  of  permanent  results,  must  he  made  to  coincide  with 
the  convenience  of  officials  in  one  of  the  great  departments  of  the  Government. 
Such  a  meeting,  in  order  to  avoid  waste  of  time,  should  have  before  it  some 
definitely  considered  body  of  proposals  which  had  been  previously  submitted 
to  all  the  members  and  which  might  thus  form  the  basis  of  definite  action  to  be 
proposed  to  the  department  concerned.  Owing  to  my  inability  to  give  sufficient 
consideration  to  the  important  questions  involved  to  justify  me  in  trying  to 
formulate  such  proposals  for  the  committee  no  meeting  has  been  called  during 
the  year,  hut  I  beg  to  suggest  that  even  this,  unfortunate  as  it  seems,  may  not 
be  altogether  without  its  advantages. 

The  attention  of  all  the  colleges  has  been  necessarily  fixed  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent  upon  the  working  of  the  system  which  the  War  Department  is  now  try- 
in-  to  carry  out.  and  all  are  probably  in  a  better  position  to  make  an  estimate 
of  its  advantages  and  disadvantages  than  they  were  a  year  ago.  Considerable 
correspondence  has  been  carried  on  with  different  institutions  relative  to  special 
cases  as  they  arose,  and  a  number  of  important  suggestions  have  been  made  bj 
them,  some  of  which  may  form  the  basis  of  future  deliberation  and  action.  To 
President  Fellows,  of  Maine,  special  thanks  are  due  for  the  valuable  work  that 
he  has  done  in  this  connection. 

The  chairman  of  the  committee  has  had  two  prolonged  interviews  with  the 
Chief  of  Staff  of  the  Army,  the  first  of  which  resulted  in  an  extension  of  the 
detail  of  military  officers  to  colleges  from  two  years  to  three,  and  the  second  in 
a  better  mutual  understanding  of  some  of  the  points  at  issue  between  the  col- 
leges and  the  Department.  The  position  of  the  Department,  stated  in  the 
briefest  form,  is  this.  that,  since  the  Government  furnishes  officers  and  equip- 
ment  for  giving   military   instruction,   it   has   a   right  to  expect   both   a    hearty 

23880— No.  153—05  m 3 


32 

cooperation  and  an  equivalent  return  from  the  colleges;  that,  since  military 
instruction  is  the  end  sbughl  by  the  law  and  by  those  who  are  charged  with  the 
administration  of  it  on  behalf  of  the  Government,  that  instruction  should  be 
made  efficient,  and  the  colleges  should,  as  far  as  necessary,  organize  theii 
schedules  of  work  accordingly;  and.  still  further,  that,  while  these  details  are 
of  great  advantage  to  the  individual  officers  concerned,  and  thus  to  the  entire 
military  establishment,  yet  the  primary  need  of  the  Army  is  to  have  its  officers 
directly  at  work  with  their  respective  commands.  The  force  of  this  last  consid- 
eration will  appear  when  it  is  stated  that  20  per  cent  of  the  officers  of  the  Army 
are  now  absent  on  detached  service,  and  it  can  be  well  understood  that  this  fact 
is  an  occasion  of  very  grave  concern  to  the  bead  of  the  Army.  It  also  serves  to 
explain  the  reasons  for  wishing  to  detail  to  colleges  no  officers  but  those  on  the 
retired  list,  a  policy  which,  however  desirable  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
Army,  is  utterly  impracticable  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  colleges.  There  is 
one  other  point  upon  which  the  otficers  of  the  Department  feel  that  the  necessi- 
ties )i'  the  situation  are  not  always  sufficiently  considered  by  the  colleges;  that 
is,  colleges  in  a  few  instances  have  insisted  that  if  they  could  not  have  some 
particular  officer  detailed  they  would  prefer  to  have  none  at  all ;  and,  while  the 
Department  is  desirous  of  considering  the  wishes  of  the  colleges  as  far  as  pos- 
sible in  each  case,  it  feels  that  a  specific  insistence  of  that  kind,  without  regard 
to  conditions  which  may  exist  in  the  service,  is  not  reasonable  or  justifiable. 

In  response  to  a  suggestion  from  the  chairman  of  the  committee1  that  a  meet- 
ing of  the  committee  of  the  association  with  the  Chief  of  Staff  and  other  officers 
of  the  War  Department  might  result  in  a  better  understanding  and  more  har- 
monious action.  General  Chaffee  expressed  his  very  cordial  assent  and  his 
willingness  to  arrange  for  such  a  meeting. 

Geo.  W.  Atherton.  Chairman. 

II.  C.  White.  At  the  last  convention  the  following  matters  were  referred  to 
the  committee  on  military  instruction  : 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  on  military  instruction  is  directed  to  try  and 
secure  some  modification  of  War  Department  General  Orders,  No.  94.  relating 
to  military  instruction  in  the  land-grant  colleges,  abolishing  the  fixed  five-hour 
per  week  requirement  for  military  instruction,  and  allowing  such  colleges  larger 
liberty  in  arranging  their  programme  of  weekly  exercises. 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  is  further  directed  to  submit  to  the  association 
at  its  next  convention  a  draft  of  recommendation  to  be,  if  approved,  urged  upon 
Congress  looking  to  more  complete  provision  for  the  military  instruction 
required  of  the  land-grant  colleges. 

The  report  was  received  and  referred  to  the  section  on  college  work  and 
administration  for  consideration  (see  p.  91). 

Indexing  Agricultural  Literature. 

In  the  absence  of  A.  C.  True,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  this  subject,  his 
report  was  presented  by  W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota,  as  follows: 

W.  M.  Hays.  I  want  to  premise  this  written  statement  prepared  by  Doctor 
True  by  stating  that  this  committee  has  been  in  existence  twelve  years,  and 
two  of  its  main  objects  have  been  achieved.  One  is  to  secure  within  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  a  scheme  of  indexing  agricultural  literature;  the  other  is 
to  have  the  Library  of  Congress  do  the  printing,  so  that  institutions  and  indi- 
viduals desiring  indexes  of  different  classes  of  agricultural  literature  may 
secure  them  at  a  nominal  cost. 

The  formal  report  of  the  committee  follows : 

The  past  year  has  been  marked  by  two  important  events  in  the  progress  of 
the  work  of  indexing  the  literature  of  agriculture  and  agricultural  science 
by  the  Department  of  Agriculture:  (1)  The  printing  of  the  first  installment  of  a 
card  index  of  agricultural  periodicals  by  the  Department  Library,  and  (2)  the 
publication  of  a  general  index  to  the  first  12  volumes  of  the  Experiment  Station 
Record  and  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  2.  by  the  Office  of  Experiment 
Stations. 

The  card  index  of  agricultural  periodicals  comprises  author  and  subject 
iudexes  and  already  about  7,000  cards  have  been  printed.     The  periodicals  thus 


33 

far  indexed  are  Annates  de  la  Science  Agronoralqne,  1SS4-1903,  Landwirth- 
Bchaftliche  Jabrbilcher,  L872-1902,  and  Die  Landwirthschaftllcben  Versuehssta- 
tionen,  L859  1902. 

Any  number  of  copies  of  each  card  can  be  purchased  as  desired.  Arrange- 
ments have  been  made  with  the  Library  <>f  Congress  for  the  printing  and  sale  <»f 
these  cards,  but  the  indexing  and  proof  reading  are  done  in  the  Library  of  the 
Department  Circulars  of  Information  concern  lug  this  work  were  widely  dis- 
tributed last  March  to  libraries,  institutions,  and  to  individuals  interested  in 
agriculture  and  related  sciences.  The  result  is  a  list  of  subscribers  which  war- 
rants beginning  the  work,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  list  will  be  greatly  increased 
after  the  cards  which  are  ready  for  distribution  have  been  examined. 

The  publication  of  the  card  index  for  Department  publications  has  been  con- 
tinued during  the  past  year,  as  usual,  and  now  numbers  7,483  cards  in  each  set. 
Libraries  and  institutions  throughout  the  country  continue  to  apply  for  the 
cards,  and  frequent  letters  of  appreciation  of  their  usefulness  are  received. 

The  general  index  to  the  first  12  volumes  of  the  Experiment  Station  Record 
and  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  2  is  a  subject  index  which  makes  a  volume 
of  671  pages. 

"The  index  contains  about  125,000  entries,  arranged  under  nearly  5-"3,000 
divisions  and  subheads.  It  covers  all  of  the  experiment  station  and  Department 
imbrications  received  for  abstracting  up  to  the  beginning  of  January,  1901,  and 
nearly  all  of  the  foreign  literature  up  to  that  time  It  therefore  brings  the 
index  of  this  literature  practically  down  to  the  close  of  the  year  1000;  and,  as 
it  dates  from  the  beginning  of  the  experiment  stations  under  the  Hatch  Act,  it 
covers  a  period  of  the  greatest  activity  in  the  development  of  agricultural 
science."  The  preparation  of  this  index  involved  a  vast  amount  of  painstaking 
and  tedious  labor  on  the  part  of  the  editor  of  the  Experiment  Station  Record 
and  his  associates,  and  its  successful  completion  is  a  very  considerable  achieve- 
ment. 

The  importance  of  this  great  work  to  students,  teachers,  and  investigators  is 
very  great.  The  demand  for  it  has  already  exhausted  the  first  edition  of  1,000 
copies,  and  a  second  edition  is  being  printed. 

The  card  index  of  experiment  station  literature  issued  by  the  Office  of  Experi- 
ment Stations  has  now  reached  25,600. 

A  list  of  publications  of  the  Agriculture  Department  1S62-1902  with  analytical 
index  (pages  G2.3)  has  been  published  by  the  Superintendent  of  Documents, 
Government  Printing  Olfice. 

A.  C.  True. 

J.  A.  Clark. 

E.  Davenport. 

W.  M.  Hays. 

Mr.  Hays.  It  is  my  private  opinion,  not  a  part  of  the  committee's  report,  that 
this  association  ought  to  take  some  active  steps  through  its  executive  committee 
to  push  matters  both  as  to  preparation  of  the  cards  and  as  to  their  publication 
by  the  Library  of  Congress. 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  accepted. 

The  convention  adjourned  to  meet  at  8  o'clock  p.  in. 

Evening  Session,  Tuesday.  November  1,  1004. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  by  J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi,  the  second 
vice-president. 

President  W.  O.  Thompson  was  introduced,  and  delivered  the  annual  presi- 
dential address,  as  follows: 

Annual  Address  of  the  President  of  the  Association —Some  Problems  in 
the  Colleges  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts. 

1.  I  propose  for  our  consideration  this  evening  a  very  plain  and  I  trust  a 
very  practical  theme,  upon  which  I  desire  to  offer  a  few  remarks  suggested  by 
my  own  experience  and  observation.  No  effort  will  be  made  to  discuss  in  any 
theoretical  way  the  many  interesting  questions  that  pertain  to  education,  but 


34 

rather  to  take  a  broad  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  field  and  the  institutions 
we  represent,  with  such  suggestions  as  may  be  helpful. 

ii)i  assume  that  there  is  no  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  these  in- 
stitutions now  represcnl  the  great  national  movement  in'whieh  both  nation  and 
state  are  cooperating  with  a  clearly  defined  purpose  <;t'  providing  such  a  type  «.t' 
education  as  can  he  readily  justified  by  its  relation  to  the  development  of  our 
country.  Education  is  strictly  a  developmental  function  in  which  the  State 
seems  inevitably  to  take  a  larger  and  larger  part.  Here  the  logic  of  the  situa- 
tion will  become  sufficiently  manifest  to  warrant  a  larger  participation  on  the 
part  of  the  nation  as  a  matter  of  national  development  If  such  larger  part 
should  he  taken  by  the  nation,  the  manner  in  which  such  increased  expenditures 
would  he  made  is  a  matter  not  now  possible  of  forecast.  The  varying  and 
sometimes  conflicting  interests  would  probably  effect  such  compromises  in  legis- 
lation as  to  divert  the  efforts  from  what  might  he  regarded  as  in  accordance 
with  the  most  approved  theory.  It  is  not  necessary  to  produce  here  an  array  of 
figures  prefaced  with  a  dollar  mark  in  order  to  assure  us  of  the  greatness  of  our 
work.  The  contributions  made  by  the  National  Government  in  the  original 
Morrill  Aet  have  heen  more  or  less  efficient,  depending  largely  upon  the  wisdom 
of  the  States.  After  all  has  heen  said  that  can  he  said  on  that  matter,  it 
remains  true  that  that  original  act  is  the  foundation  on  wdiieh  the  colleges 
stand.  The  second  Morrill  Act  is  a  very  clear  and  definite  contribution,  in 
which  there  is  a  renewed  and  enlarged  participation  on  the  part  of  the  Govern- 
ment. It  is  not  assumed  that  the  national  grants  are  adequate  to  the  main- 
tenance of  such  colleges  as  are  needed.  The  smallest  States,  or  the  States  with 
the  least  amount  of  undeveloped  resources,  will  rind  before  them  problems  t  10 
large  for  an  adequate  solution  with  the  limited  means  at  their  hands.  Indeed, 
the  States  where  conditions  are  most  unfavorable  form  the  strongest  argument 
for  national  aid.  Here  it  is  that  undeveloped  resources  are  few.  and  here  it 
is  that  existing  resources  need  to  he  most  carefully  husbanded.  If  the  National 
Government  can  be  justified  for  undertaking  what  may  lie  termed  the  develop- 
mental functions  of  government — and  I  take  it  that  the  history  of  the  past 
seventy-five  years  justifies  such  undertaking — then  it  would  seem  the  part  of 
wisdom  to  protect  the  whole  country,  and  to  see  to  it  that  no  portion  of  the 
country  is. to  he  so  depleted  in  resources  that  the  maintenance  of  a  population  is 
impossible.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  National  Government  might 
with  every  propriety  interest  itself  in  the  development  of  the  least  fertile  and 
most  unlikely  portions  of  the  country  for  the  general  reason  that  the  nation's 
interests  are  as  wide  as  her  territory.  This  phase  of  the  problem  is  the  more 
urgent  because  it  is  here  that  States  will  he  slow  to  take  hold  of  the  problem, 
chiefly  hecause  they  lack  the  knowledge  needed  in  order  to  direct  them  in  the 
wise  application  of  scientific  methods  to  the  problem,  and  further  hecause  such 
States  are  not  usually  sufficiently  aroused  as  to  the  relation  of  research  to  state 
development.  On  the  other  hand,  the  States  having  a  large  amount  of  unde- 
veloped resources  can  readily  see  the  advantage  of  development,  and  are  so 
moved  by  the  prospect  of  assured  profit  that  they  readily  make  appropriations 
lor  investigation  and  research  as  an  investment,  if  not  in  the  interest  of  science. 

(2)  We  are  well  aware  that  there  is  a  great  diversity  of  interest  shown  among 
the  States.  This  interest  has  manifested  itself  in  some  cases  by  large  and  gen- 
erous appropriations  and  in  others  by  rather  meager  provision.  There  can  he 
no  question  about  the  individual  State's  right,  and  I  also  helieve  of  its  duty,  to 
take  up  the  developmental  functions  of  government  and  give  its  own  territory 
most  careful  consideration.  It  is  not  that  in  the  support  of  what  we  would  term 
"  technical  education."  "  industrial  education."  or  perhaps  hotter.  "  economic 
education,"  the  State  will  receive  immediate  returns  upon  its  investment,  for  that 
is  not  always  true,  but  that  in  such  long-time  investment,  calculated  to  perpetuate 
the  resources  of  the  State,  and  to  keep  the  legacy  of  our  fathers  as  valuable  for 
our  children  as  it  has  heen  for  us.  the  State  will  find  ample  justification  for  its 
expenditures.  Men  often  debate  the  constitutionality  of  certain  measures,  the 
wisdom  of  them  or  the  political  effect  of  them,  hut  wheu  they  have  once  heen 
made  and  men  of  a  later  period  see  the  wisdom  of  such  public  enterprise,  there  is 
little  disposition  to  criticise  the  action.  The  present  movement  in  agricultural 
education  has  some  immediate  returns  that  are  a  justification,  hut  the  complete 
justification  will  he  at  the  hands  of  our  children.  It  is  worth  our  while  to  keep 
clearly  in  mind  that  this  expenditure  must  inevitably  increase.  I  do  not  suggest 
that  it  will  increase  with  great  rapidity,  hut  that  the  increase  of  expenditure  for 
education  will  go  with  equal  step  with  the  increase  of  the  efficiency  of  our  civiliza- 
tion.    Indeed,  civilization  itself  as  it  progresses  makes  increasing  demands  upon 


35 

the  citizens.  Primitive  life  is  very  simple  and  beautiful  under  primitive  condi- 
tions, imt  under  the  conditions  of  u  highly  organized  civilization  primitive  life 
would  be  decided  evidence  of  degeneration.  Civilization  brings  not  only  its 
opportunities,  but  its  duties  as  well.  Education  is  therefore  a  constantly  expand- 
ing problem.  These  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  must  recognize 
that  up  to  date  their  work  is  only  outlined.  They  must  then,  not  only  as  the 
vers  of  the  past,  the  protectors  of  the  future,  but  as  the  designated 
agencies  of  the  State,  stimulate  and  develop  the  possibilities  of  both  land  and 
men.  These  institutions  therefore  stand  in  a  very  important  relation  to  society 
and  must  help  to  solve  the  problems  of  practical  living  for  the  millions  of  our 
industrial  classes. 

It  is  not  unnatural  that  in  the  presence  of  this  large  expenditure  of  money 
and  of  the  tendency  to  increase  this  expenditure  of  money  as  time  goes  on  the 
thoughts  «f  men  should  turn  to  a  consideration  of  t  ho  results  of  this  national 
movement  in  education.  I  have  no  desire  to  enter  into  a  discussion  that  might 
lie  tabulated  in  figures.  For  our  purpose  here  this  evening  it  might  be  well 
to  remind  ourselves,  however,  in  the  first  place,  that  this  national  movement 
has  given  great  importance  to  work  in  agriculture  in  the  Tinted  States  Gov- 
ernment The  Department  of  Agriculture  now  stands  as  the  nation's  testimony 
to  the  importance  of  the  problems  with  which  it  deals.  Apart  from  the  move- 
ment for  these  land-grant  colleges,  it  might  be  seriously  doubted  whether  there 
could  have  been  such  a  development  of  the  nation's  work  as  is  now  organized 
in  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  We  recognize  the  importance  of  the  work 
undertaken  by  the  Government  and  also  the  generosity  toward  the  States  as 
shown  in  the  two  Morrill  acts.  We  can  not  fail  to  recognize  the  helpful  coop- 
eration of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  with  the  colleges  and  stations.  Too 
much  could  not  easily  he  said  in  praise  of  this  work.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
are  quite  as  much  under  obligation  to  recognize  the  helpful  attitude  of  the  sev- 
eral States  in  making  possible  the  highest  efficiency  of  this  national  movement. 
They  have  gone  at  the  matter  with  a  steady  purpose  and  a  steadily  growing 
enthusiasm.  The  movement  has  not  been  by  any  means  a  rural  one.  Our  city 
populations  have  come  to  see  the  intimate  relation  between  the  development  of 
agriculture  in  this  country  and  the  prosperity  and  safety  of  much  of  our  com- 
merce. They  have  seen  how  it  affects  the  quantity  of  our  food  supplies,  the 
health  of  our  people,  and  the  permanence  of  much  of  our  prosperity.  Those  of 
us  engaged  in  the  agricultural  colleges  recognize,  therefore,  that  our  work 
could  be  so  incomplete  as  to  be  extremely  unsatisfactory  but  for  the  logical 
development  at  Washington.  It  is  also  true  that  they  without  us  should  not 
be  made  perfect.  Indeed,  every  enterprise  of  this  association  has  made  mani- 
fest that  the  interest  of  the  nation,  of  the  States,  of  the  colleges,  and  of  the 
people  are  all  one.  The  work  of  investigation,  the  work  of  supervision,  the  work 
of  stimulating  and  aiding  the  local  enterprises  all  unite  to  emphasize  to  us  the 
fact  that  the  nation  has  been  pretty  well  aroused.  The  further  development 
of  this  work  must  inevitably  emphasize  the  common  interest  of  the  entire 
country  and  so  lead  to  an  increasing  intelligence  as  to  the  real  unity  of  the 
country.  In  the  large  and  broad  field  of  the  nation's  interests  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  in  its  several  fields  of  work  may  be  regarded  as  the  logical 
outcome  of  the  Morrill  Act  and  also  as  the  nation's  appreciation  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  colleges  and  experiment  stations.  Without  design  on  the  part  of 
anyone  there  has  gradually  grown  up  an  institution  at  Washington  which  give* 
expression  to  the  national  ideals,  just  as  the  local  college  expresses  the  ideals 
of  the  community  in  which  it  is  located.  I  am  disposed,  therefore,  to  say  that 
the  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  have  fully  justified  their  exist- 
ence by  the  national  influences  that  have  been  set  to  work  as  a  consequence 
of  their  founding.  On  the  other  hand,  the  results  in  a  local  way  that  have 
been  realized  from  these  colleges  are  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  They  have 
wrought  out  local  problems  and  stimulated  local  enterprise.  They  have  trained 
some  valuable  citizens  and  produced  some  efficient  men  and  women.  This  in 
itself  would  be  ample  justification,  but  through  the  agency  of  these  efficient  men 
and  women  the  resources  of  the  country  are  not  only  being  perpetuated,  but 
increased,  so  that  both  local  and  national  governments  are  finding  their  patri- 
mony undiminished.  These  institutions,  while  devoted  to  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion, have  pointed  out  the  possibilities  of  increased  revenues  and  trained  men 
to  protect  themselves  in  the  strenuous  struggle  for  existence. 

The  results  realized  from  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  these  land- 
grant  colleges  are  not  to  be  looked  for  entirely  in  the  graduates  of  such 
institutions  or  in  the  renewed  interests  that  may  be  aroused  in  either  agri- 


36 

culture  or  mechanic  arts.  This  system  of  education,  which  in  a  way  is  dif- 
ferent Prom  anything  else  ever  undertaken,  guards  peculiarly  the  country's 
[deals  concerning  the  permanent   welfare  of  the  masses  of  the  people,     i   do 

not  think  it  could  he  proved  that  these  colleges  came  in  response  to  a  demand 
from  the  multitude,  but  they  came  rather  in  response  to  a  demand  on  the  part 
of  a  few  farseeing  men.  These  men  recognized,  what  I  think  all  now  can 
readily  see.  that  such  institutions  would  be  nn  efficient  agency  in  cultivating 
on  the  part  of  the  masses  of  the  people  an  appreciation  of  higher  attainments 
and  greater  excellence  in  the  useful  industries  of  life,  it  is  impossible  to 
measure  the  value  or  the  power  in  such  enlightened  appreciation.  It  has 
been  truly  said  in  connection  with  the  significance  of  an  educational  system 
in  its  relation  to  the  progress  of  civilization,  and  concerning  the  duty  toward 
the  government  of  those  receiving  it.  that  we  can  not  appreciate  it  except  by 
Considering  it  from  the  collective  point  of  view.  That  is  to  say.  in  another  way. 
that  the  whole  people  must  encourage  and  maintain  a  system  of  education  in 
order  that  the  individuals  may  be  brought  to  a  greater  appreciation  of  it 
and  thus  saved  from  their  own  tendency  to  degeneration.  This  elevating 
influence  of  the  land-grant  colleges  is  by  no  means  their  least  valuable  result. 
It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  benefits  of  an  education  to  the  individual  are 
proportionately  le<s  than  the  advantages  to  the  other  members  of  a  com- 
munity. I  think  we  art1  prone  to  look  upon  education  from  a  purely  individu- 
alistic poiut  of  view.  We  are  prone  to  measure  it  exclusively  for  what  it  can 
do  for  the  individual,  forgetting  oftentimes  that  what  it  does  for  the  individual 
is  but  the  beginning  of  its  real  service.  We  have  not  yet  entirely  escaped 
the  fallacy  that  agricultural  education  is  for  the  farmers  only  and  that  the 
work  of  the  experiment  stations  is  for  the  rural  districts.  It  is  true  that  the 
primary  benefits  will  be  realized  first  among  the  people  in  the  rural  districts. 
but  it  is  equally  true  and  highly  important  that  we  recognize  the  truth  that 
education  of  any  sort  is  a  social  process  the  benefits  of  which  can  not  be 
confined  to  the  persons  engaged  in  it.  Agricultural  education  touches  vitally 
every  interest  of  society  both  urban  and  rural.  The  experiment  station  is  the 
guardian  of  the  avenues  as  truly  as  of  the  fields. 

Since,  then,  we  can  not  find  the  full  fruits  of  our  system  of  education  in  the 
fields  or  in  the  individuals,  we  would  do  well  to  study  its  wider  importance 
and  deeper  significance.  In  this  connection,  permit  me  to  say  that  the  very 
creditable  exhibit  of  the  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  at  St.  Louis 
has.  in  my  judgment,  been  a  demonstration  of  the  unity  of  all  education,  and 
in  so  far  as  an  exhibit  could  testify,  this  one — the  first  one — has  shown  that 
the  type  of  education  in  these  colleges  has  not  only  ample  justification,  but 
occupies  an  important  and  hitherto  neglected  field. 

In  the  phase  of  education  now  under  discussion  there  is  a  manifest  tendency 
to  emphasize  the  materials  of  education  rather  than  the  results  of  it.  It  is  so 
easy  for  us  to  fix  our  minds  upon  the  importance  of  luxuriant  yields  in  the  har- 
vest, the  splendid  types  of  live  stock,  or  the  margin  of  net  profit  that  producing 
these  things  will  realize.  No  doubt  these  are  important  considerations.  I 
would  not  in  any  degree  minimize  their  importance.  Indeed,  if  we  can  not 
exhibit  these  as  among  the  results  of  our  education  there  would  be  great  diffi- 
culty in  justifying  such  a  movement  as  a  new  departure  in  education.  When, 
however,  we  have  done  all  these  things  we  have  not  received  the  most  valuable 
results.  It  is  when  the  pursuits  of  life  have  been  made  more  efficient,  and 
through  the  efficiency  of  these  pursuits  men  ire  made  more  efficient,  and  through 
the  greater  efficiency  of  men  society  itself  is  more  efficient  and  stable,  that 
government  finds  it-<  beneficent  purposes  realized  and  its  investments  justified. 
I  regard  it  as  of  the  highest  importance  that  these  ideals  shall  become  the  com- 
mon property  of  our  people.  It  is  no  small  problem  for  these  land-grant  col- 
leges to  recognize  this  problem  and  deal  with  it  effectively.  Our  banner  must 
float  in  full  view  of  the  civilization  winch  we  encourage. 

II.  Turning  now  from  what  may  be  called  the  problems  of  ideals.  I  desire  to 
give  some  attention  to  the  more  practical  problems  of  operation,  and  here  I  bring 
to  our  attention  the  conditions  in  farm  life  that  influence  for  good  or  evil  the  effi- 
ciency of  agricultural  education.  These  conditions.  I  dare  say.  are  familiar  to 
1<he  members  of  this  association,  but  are  worthy  of  a  quiet  hour  at  our  annual 
meeting.  Many  of  them  are  general,  in  the  sense  that  they  are  to  be  found 
wherever  agricultural  colleges  occupy  the  attention  of  men.  Some  are  local,  in 
the  sense  that  they  are  more  noticeable  in  some  communities  than  in  others,  or 
in  the  sense  that  they  are  peculiar  to  particular  communities.  I  make  no  effort 
to  distinguish  these,  but  call  attention  to  such  as  are  within  the  horizon  of  my 


37 

own  observation.  These  conditions  in  themselves  present  a  very  serious  prob- 
lem. Indeed,  they  are  a  series  of  problems,  some  of  which  seem  Inei  stable  and 
perhaps  incapable  of  satisfactory  solution.     Among  these  l  mention  : 

ill  The  tendency  away  from  the  farm,  which  is  so  manifest  as  to  he  the 
cause  of  great  anxiety  in  many  communities.    There  can  be  no  doubt  that  our  cil  lea 

have  ha«l  a  large  accession  Of  the  best  material  in  the  rural  tlist  rids.  These 
persons,  with  a  certain  mural  superiority  and  excellence  of  natural  endowment, 
and  with  manifest  inferiority  in  education,  have  forced  their  way  to  the  front 
in    the   cities   and    have   become   the    living   examples   of   the   splendid    quality   of 

body   and   mind  and   heart   produced   on   the   farm.    This   efficiency    is   to   be 

accounted  for  in  part  on  the  theory  of  personal  taste.  Not  every  pel-son  horn 
on  the  farm  is  adapted  to  farming  pursuits.  People  are  disposed  to  follow  their 
likes  and  avoid  their  dislikes.  The  ambitions  of  men  oftentimes  reveal  their 
Cherished  ideals.  This,  however,  does  not  completely  account  for  the  marked 
tendency  away  from  the  farm.  We  must  recognize  the  prejudice  there  is  against 
the  drudgery  associated  with  mneh  of  rural  life.  We  must  also  recognize  the 
fact  that  the  American  people  regard  the  rural  accumulations  as  inadequate 
and  oftentimes  as  too  slow.  We  recognize  also  that  the  rural  population  has 
not  cultivated  a  just  appreciation  of  its  own  importance  and  of  its  own  dignity. 
The  proverb  has  it  that  "every  man  wants  to  live  in  the- next  county."  This 
restless  discontent  and  unwillingness  to  solve  the  problems  of  life  in  spite  of  our 
surroundings  is  an  evil  that  grows  by  what  it  feeds  upon.  Something  is  to  be 
said  also  concerning  the  failure  to  give  young  men  and  young  women  proper 
opportunities  for  personal  advancement  The  young  business  man  feels  that  he 
can  win  when  he  has  opportunity.  The  business  world  recognizes  that  no  loss  is 
sustained  by  giving  such  young  men  opportunity.  I  do  not  undertake  to  discuss 
the  reasons  in  the  case,  but  I  thiniv  we  shall  agree  that  the  facts  warrant  the 
statement  that  many  a  farmer's  boy  lacks  the  opportunity  for  individual  initia- 
tive so  essential  for  independent  positions.  The  prospect  of  dependent  subor- 
dination being  continued  too  long  naturally  arouses  a  young  man's  ambition  for 
a  position  where  he  can  do  for  himself.  He  desires  to  be  his  own  man  and  to 
conduct  his  own  business.  There  can  be  no  just  criticism  upon  that  kind  of 
ambition.  It  is  essential  to  the  perpetuity  of  a  free  people.  These  several 
items  named  above  operate  to  help  the  young  man  in  his  decision  toward  the 
business  world  and  away  from  the  productive  world.  The  agricultural  college 
has  been  unjustly  charged  with  educating  young  men  away  from  the  farm.  We 
may  as  well  recognize,  however,  that  in  spite  of  the  agricultural  colleges  this 
tendency  continues.  It  is  no  small  part  of  our  work  to  cultivate  such  a  senti- 
ment as  will  retard  this  tendency.  We  should  not  fail,  however,  to  recognize 
that  under  absolutely  perfect  conditions  a  large  number  of  rural  people  should 
find  their  way  to  the  city.  We  can  not  make  lawyers  out  of  all  sons  of  lawyers. 
Just  now  the  ministry  is  decreasing  in  numbers,  but  we  can  not  look  to  the 
manse  as  the  only  base  of  supply.  Farmers  should  not  expect  all  their  children 
to  follow  the  plow  or  be  queens  in  the  kingdom  of  domestic  economy.  Such  an 
ideal,  if  realized,  would  encourage  the  class  system  and  open  the  way  for  a  large 
amount  of  inefficiency  while  closing  the  door  to  many  and  making  impassible 
some  of  our  greatest  achievements.  There  should  be  a  free  movement  toward 
the  city  and  an  equally  free  movement  toward  the  farm.  In  other  words,  farm 
life  must  not  be  the  last  resort;  it  must  not  be  the  refuge  of  necessity;  it 
should  be  the  life  of  choice,  and  I  may  say  of  enthusiastic  choice.  It  is  evident 
that  it  has  not  always  been  such  a  choice,  but  in  many  instances  men  have 
dignified  themselves  and  the  farm  by  deliberately  choosing  to  lead  an  inde- 
pendent life  rather  than  to  rush  into  the  miserable  artificialities  of  much  of  our 
city  life.  It  is  to  the  population  capable  of  such  a  choice  that  we  must  look  for 
the  elements  that  will  check  the  too  strong  current  away  from  the  farm. 

(2)  This  tendency  is  increased,  in  my  judgment,  by  the  fact  that  fewer  men 
are  needed  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  improvement  of  machinery  has  done 
something  to  intensify  farming  at  certain  periods  of  the  year  and  rendered  it 
unnecessary  to  keep  a  large  force  of  men  constantly  available.  The  law  of 
supply  and  demand  would  therefore  cooperate  to  reduce  the  rural  population. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  multiplication  of  machinery  in  civilization  has  increased 
the  demands  for  men  through  the  opening  up  of  so  many  new  methods  of 
business.  The  modern  methods  of  transportation  have  reduced  the  hours  of 
labor,  and  the  specialization  of  labor  has  combined  to  give  the  laboring  popula- 
tion a  larger  share  in  the  earnings  of  society  and  a  wider  distribution  of  these 
earnings.  We  must  recognize  also  that  the  improvement  of  farm  machinery 
has  greatly  increased  the  investments  necessary  for  successful  farming.    Not 


38 

«  very  man  can  afford  these  Investments.  He  may  not  be  prepared  to  use  them 
Intelligently  and  therefore  profitably.  The  result  is  in  many  communities  that 
we  have  a  large  number  of  sales  annually.  Men  whose  lives  have  been  spent 
in  rural  pursuits  restlessly  turn  from  the  farm  to  ordinary  labor  as  a  means 
of   livelihood.     The  result    is  an   absenteeism   on   the   farm.      City   men   and   men 

<>f  s e  moans  have  been  buying  land  either  as  a  safe  or  speculative  investment 

The  result  is  a  species  of  landlordism  on  the  one  hand  and  of  inferior  farming 
on  the  other.  Under  such  conditions  it  may  not  he  expected  that  renters'  sons 
will  remain  on  the  farm  and  become  the  sturdy  yeomanry  of  the  country. 
Neither  is  it  probable  that  the  children  of  these  people  will  manifest  any 
great  interest  in  agricultural  education.  There  is  a  manifest  tendency  toward 
intelligent  farming.  It  is  evident  that  the  old  methods  are  often  expensive  to 
the  point  of  wastefulness.  Men  lacking  education  are  not  profitable  even  as 
employees.  Much  less  are  they  capable  of  satisfactory  service  as  farm  mana- 
gers for  owners  of  land.  Such  people  are  now  moving  to  our  cities  for  ordinary 
day  labor,  in  the  hope  that  their  children  may  sometime  become  clerks  or  suh- 
ordinates  in  the  great  whirl  of  commerce.  They  are  unfit  for  the  farm,  are 
prejudiced  against  it.  are  unwilling  to  fit  themselves  for  it.  and  eventually 
swell  the  population  that  inhabits  the  cheapest  quarters  in  our  cities  or  ekes 
out  a  miserable  existence  in  a  small  village.  Such  people  are  not  needed  on 
the  farm,  and  eventually  they  become  superfluous  in  the  town  or  city. 

(3)  A  third  specification  among  these  conditions  lies  in  the  difficulty  in  bring- 
ing town  or  city  people  to  rural  life.  They  are  quite  willing,  many  of  them,  to 
live  at  a  convenient  distance  from  the  city  with  a  large  investment  in  a  small 
area  of  ground  for  personal  comfort  and  a  certain  type  of  luxury  that  only  the 
country  can  bring,  hut  they  are  not  easily  brought  to  do  the  actual  farm  work 
necessary  for  the  development  of  agriculture.  We  can  not  conceive  of  a  country 
as  a  city,  made  up  of  town  lots  of  10  to  20  acres  in  area.  The  truth  is  that  the 
City-bred  people  have  little  conception  of  what  rural  life  really  is.  Many  of 
them  have  an  exaggerated  prejudice  concerning  it.  The  training  in  action,  asso- 
ciations, exciting  amusements,  and  all  that  go  to  make  up  the  externalities  of 
city  life  unite  to  unfit  an  individual  for  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  rural  living. 
Whatever  hope  there  is,  therefore,  for  the  rural  districts  must  eventually  come 
from  the  rural  districts  themselves.  It  is  to  the  population  on  the  farm  that  we 
must  turn  for  the  perpetuity  and  improvement  of  rural  life.  The  record  made 
in  the  past  by  choice  rural  individuals  in  the  city  has  greatly  helped  and  im- 
proved the  city.  I  see  no  evidence  that  the  city  will  ever  help  or  improve  the 
country.  The  agricultural  college,  therefore,  will  find  one  of  its  most  pressing 
and  important  problems  in  the  country  itself.  It  may  be  very  entertaining  and 
quite  fashionable  to  chat  in  a  city  parlor  about  the  beauties  of  agriculture,  but 
the  real  problems  of  agriculture  are  on  the  farm  and  not  in  the  drawing  room. 

(4)  A  fourth  specification  is  the  question  of  profits.  There  is  uo  doubt  that 
men  desire  to  make  money  and  that  the  profit  in  farming  determines  the  atti- 
tude of  many  lor  or  against  this  pursuit.  Many  young  men  leave  the  farm 
because  they  see  that  their  fathers  have  spent  a  life  without  accumulating  much 
money  and  because  the  fathers  oftentimes  complain  that  they  have  not  made 
money.  It  is  not  uncommon  under  these  conditions  to  see  a  greatly  impover- 
ished farm  associated  with  an  unfilled  purse.  As  an  individual  question,  we 
can  not  blame  any  man  for  having  a  desire  for  an  improved  condition.  We 
can  not  ask  him  to  stay  in  a  place  where  there  is  no  prospect  of  improvement. 
If  he  were  willing  to  do  this  he  would  be  fitted  neither  for  a  farmer  nor  for  a 
business  man.  It  is  not,  therefore,  the  personal  phase  of  this  question  that  I 
am  now  suggesting.  It  is  rather  the  general  question  of  profit  in  farming  as 
having  to  do  with  the  tendency  away  from  the  farm.  We  recognize  that  the 
speculative  values  in  farm  lands  constitute  no  part  of  ordinary  farming.  The 
man  who  buys  cheap  land  at  $10  per  acre  and  holds  it  for  ten  years  and  finds 
it  worth  $30  per  acre  has  not  made  money  by  farming;  he  has  made  money  by 
speculative  investment  in  farming  lands.  As  soon  as  it  is  realized  that  this 
speculative  value  is  an  uncertain  quantity  the  attractiveness  of  such  investments 
ceases.  Multitudes  of  farmers  can  not  be  and  ought  not  to  be  speculators ;  they 
should  he  farmers,  and  the  problem  is  to  make  them  profitable  farmers.  In  the 
consideration  of  this  question  we  must  recognize  the  impoverished  condition  of 
much  of  the  farming  land  of  our  country.  To  he  sure  we  have  recognized  this 
as  a  fact.  I  appeal  now  to  recognize  it  as  a  condition*  a  condition  that  threat- 
ens the  permanent  usefulness  of  the  farm  and  the  farmer.  I  find  a  very  wide- 
spread belief  that  much  of  our  farming  land  never  can  he  made  profitable  for 
the  individual  farmer.     If  this  is  a  permanent  condition  our  colleges  and  experi- 


39 

nicii!  stations  should  take  tbe  lead  In  making  those  things  known  and  In  bring 
Ing  the  Government  to  a  realization  of  thai  condition.  Surely  this  Impoverished 
soil  has  some  place  In  the  national  economy.  There  is  some  way  of  turning  it  to 
good  account  The  law  Qf  diminished  returns  as  sot  forth  in  our  standard 
works  of  political  economy  makes  it  entirely  clear  thai  the  scale  of  wages  Is 
determined  by  the  land  cultivated  without  profit,  or,  to  pul  it  In  another  way.  the 
land  cultivated  at  the  bighesl  rate  i  f  expenditure,  in  my  judgment  the  per- 
manently profitable  coudition  of  farm  land  is  considerably  menaced  by  tin-  area 
of  impoverished  soil  in  the  country.  So  far  as  my  observation  goes,  but  little 
attention  has  been  given  to  this  condition  as  Influencing  the  general  conditions 
of  rural  life.  I  am  persuaded,  however,  that  it  no1  only  tends  to  keep  down 
farm  wages,  but  that  it  harbors  an  inferior  population  and  from  nearly  every 
point  of  view  threatens  the  most  important  conditions  of  rural  life. 

I  recognize,  however,  that  not  all  of  this  Impoverished  soil  is  hopelessly  so. 
.'This  leads  me  to  say  that  Intelligent  operation  of  the  farm  is  necessary  for  any 
margin  of  profit  This  Intelligent  operation  and  management  is  impossible  with- 
out education.  Some  farmers  have  learned  the  lesson  of  profitable  farming 
after  an  experience  of  twenty-five  years.  That  experience  was  valuable,  hut  a 
very  expensive  education.  The  purpose  now  is  to  give  i<»  the  young  farmer 
while  in  his  teens,  an  education  that  will  enrich  him  with  the  experience  of  other 
men  gained  after  a  long  period  of  years.  In  other  words,  he  is  asked  to  invest 
very  much  less  money  in  his  education  than  he  will  pay  for  his  experience.  At 
the  same  time  his  era  of  profit  will  begin  at  25  instead  of  at  50.  The  movement 
for  agricultural  education  is  still  in  its  infancy.  We  are  still  in  the  apologetic 
stage.  We  need  a  propaganda  accompanied  by  a  demonstration  that  shall  con- 
vince men  that  intelligence  properly  applied  will  produce  results  on  the  farm  just 
as  certainly  as  elsewhere. 

As  hearing  upon  this  question  of  profits  I  recognize  that  there  are  other  ele- 
ments. The  question  of  markets,  their  availability,  the  long  or  short  haul,  good 
loads,  methods  of  transportation,  and  similar  elements  often  enter  into  the  ques- 
tion of  the  profit  of  agriculture.  The  tendency  up  to  date  has  been  to  lay  the 
entire  burden  of  all  these  things  upon  the  local  community.  It  may  he  that  it 
shall  always  remain  so.  This  may  add  to  the  expense  of  local  production  while 
not  making  it  clear  that  some  obscure  places  are  in  any  better  condition. 

The  above-named  particulars  are  sufficient  to  arouse  our  thought  as  to  the 
seriousness  of  the  condition  that  confronts  a  growing  civilization.  If  conditions 
were  not  serious  there  would  be  no  necessity  for  much  ado  about  the  importance 
of  agricultural  education  or  the  necessity  of  government  aid  in  such  matters. 
The  seriousness  is  not  a  new  phase  of  the  condition.  The  only  thing  new  is  that 
the  recognition  of  this  condition  is  more  general  than  heretofore.  The  awaken- 
ing among  us  of  our  convictions  upon  this  subject,  accompanied  by  a  general 
desire  to  make  such  improvement  in  conditions  as  shall  largely  justify  our 
efforts,  is  a  most  encouraging  feature.  This  is  justification  for  a  stronger  appeal 
that  I  can  not  make  to  the  representatives  of  the  great  cause  of  technical  and 
industrial  education.  Let  me  bring  renewed  emphasis,  therefore,  upon  one  or 
two  things  as  we  move  along. 

III.  I  refer  to  the  well-recognized  problems  of  connecting  education  with  farm- 
ing. All  here  agree  that  we  have  passed  the  time  for  unintelligent  farming. 
Indeed,  it  would  have  been  better  if  we  had  never  reached  that  time.  The  fact 
remains,  however,  that  a  large  portion  of  the  agricultural  work  of  the  country 
has  been  a  blind  trust  in  the  moon,  or  in  Providence,  or  in  luck.  The  multitudes, 
however,  have  long  believed  that  the  farmer's  boy  needed  an  education  if  he 
proposed  to  be  a  lawyer  or  a  minister.  We  appeal  for  an  equally  abiding  con- 
viction that  the  boy  who  is  to  be  a  farmer  must  have  an  education.  The  one 
idea  seemed  to  be  that  the  only  way  to  learn  to  do  a  thing  was  by  doing  it  in  an 
unintelligent  and  expensive  way.  The  modern  idea  is  that  we  shall  learn  to  do 
things  by  doing  them  under  competent  supervision  and  in  a  most  economic  way. 
The  agricultural  college  therefore  is  an  expensive  thing  in  itself,  because  it 
centralizes  all  the  expensiveness  of  ignorance  under  an  organization  that  pro- 
poses to  remove  ignorance  and  supplant  it  with  intelligence  and  skill.  The 
fallacy  that  unintelligent  men  can  do  farm  work  needs  to  be  entirely  removed. 
The  truth  is  that  it  requires  less  intelligence  to  dig  a  ditch  for  a  sewer  in  the 
city  than  to  prepare  for  a  tile  drain  on  the  farm.  In  the  one  case  there  is  an 
association  with  other  laborers,  the  foreman,  and  a  large  amount  of  concen- 
trated supervision.  In  the  other  case  there  is  no  such  association,  but  a  demand 
for  intelligence  that  can  supervise  itself.  Even  the  ordinary  operations  of  the 
farm  require  men  who  are  equal  to  their  own  emergencies  and  who  can  assume 


40 

their  own  responsibilities.  In  the  larger  questions  of  farm  economy,  farm 
management,  and  the  many  problems  that  have  been  so  interestingly  discussed 
in  the  meetings  Of  this  association  there  is  call  for  a  grade  of  intelligence,  of 
executive  ability,  and  of  management  much  higher  than  is  ordinarily  appreciated. 

IV.  Another  phase  of  this  appreciation  lies  in  working  out  an  educational 
programme  that  shall  do  the  thing  desired.  This  association  has  already  dis- 
(  Qssed  and  in  general  decided  the  main  features  of  what,  in  its  judgment,  an 
agricultural  education  should  be.  Considerable  time  and  labor  have  been  spent 
upon  the  classification  and  adjustment  of  subjects  and  the  time  to  be  given  to 
these  several  subjects.  There  is  now  general  agreement  that  this  work  has  been 
well  done.  I  do  not  look  for  any  serious  or  revolutionary  modification  of  this 
programme  The  problem  seems  to  be  one  of  natural  and.  as  I  think,  necessary 
expansion.  I  should  not  ignore  the  criticism  that  has  been  made  of  agricultural 
colleges,  although  1  do  not  desire  to  be  understood  as  supporting  it.  Some  of 
it  has  been  intelligent,  wise,  and  helpful,  but  much  of  it  has  been  erratic, 
zealous,  and  ill-informed.  It  has  been  said  that  agricultural  courses  are  not 
■well  adapted  to  the  ends  desired.  It  has  been  intimated  that  our  coursi 
study  do  not  carefully  conform  to  the  spirit  of  the  Morrill  Act.  It  has  been  said 
also  that  they  do  not  meet  the  most  pressing  needs  of  the  agricultural  els 
These  are  serious  statements  and  in  a  way  constitute  a  charge  against  intelli- 
gence or  the  intelligence  of  those  to  whom  the  oversight  of  these  colleges  is 
intrusted.  So  far  as  these  objections  have  any  force  it  may  be  found  that  a 
more  generous  provision  of  money  would  remove  most  of  them.  Agricultural 
education  is  working  under  ven  serious  limitations.  Most  people  and  a  very 
considerable  percentage  of  legislators  have  failed  to  appreciate  that  agricultural 
education  is  of  necessity  expensive.  It  is  to  be  expected  that  every  effort, 
however  sincere,  can  not  always  be  wisely  directed.  We  may  therefore  look 
for  some  unwise  use  of  money  and  for  the  abandoning  of  certain  lines  of  work. 
Making  due  allowance,  however,  for  all  these  things,  there  remains  the  out- 
standing fact  that  the  limitations  of  these  colleges  have  been  a  serious  handicap. 
Those  iu  the  association  who  have  had  most  generous  support  have  proved  to 
be  most  largely  serviceable  not  only  in  their  own  States,  but  to  the  general 
cause  of  agricultural  education.  In  the  present  programme  of  this  association 
we  are  to  discuss  a  number  of  the  questions  that  bear  upon  this  very  problem. 
Whether  these  colleges  shall  do  elementary  work  or  whether  they  shall  do  more 
advanced  work  will  in  many  instances  resolve  itself  into  a  question  of  money. 
There  is  a  sentiment  in  the  country  that  these  schools  should  confine  themselves 
to  what  might  be  termed  "  practical  education."  We  hear  it  and  read  it  in  the 
press  that  there  is  no  great  demand  for  scientific  agriculturists — at  any  rate,  that 
such  demand  could  be  met  by  a  few  colleges.  We  are  told  that  the  higher  and 
more  scientific  pursuits  should  not  be  abandoned,  but  that  the  more  important 
and  practical  phases  of  agriculture  should  be  emphasized  and  the  work  in  that 
direction  greatly  enlarged.  Certain  phases  of  agricultural  effort,  like  the  agricul- 
tural institute  in  Iowa  and  the  winter  schools  in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  have 
attracted  considerable  attention  and  called  forth  much  praise.  The  tendency, 
especially  in  the  West,  to  take  active  interest  in  stock  exhibits  is  quite  marked. 
On  the  other  hand,  severe  criticism  has  been  brought  upon  agricultural  colleges 
for  experimental  feeding,  which  costs  three  or  four  times  what  the  stock  market 
will  support  We  have  heard  it  said  that  such  education  would  pauperize  every 
farmer  in  the  State. 

I  mention  these  things  not  for  approval  or  disapproval,  but  for  the  purpose  of 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  programme  of  the  agricultural  colleges  is 
not  yet  in  its  final  form. 

I  call  attention  to  another  fact  in  connection  with  it.  that  all  these  special 
features  are  expensive.  The  taxpayer  is  not  exclusively  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  agricultural  education.  We  shall  probably  not  reach  a  point  very  soon  where 
we  shall  be  free  from  adverse  and  oftentimes  captious  criticism. 

V.  As  bearing  uixm  this  general  topic  and  as  presenting  another  specific 
problem.  I  make  reference  to  the  movement  for  agricultural  education  in  the 
rural  schools  In  general  this  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  agricultural  college  and 
follows  the  line  of  other  educational  development  in  that  most  improvement  has 
come  from  above.  The  highest  education  has  stimulated  the  elementary  educa- 
tion. It  is  natural,  therefore,  that  the  agricultural  college  should  stimulate  the 
elementary  education  in  the  rural  schools.  This  is  more  than  a  passing  phase 
of  the  subject  of  nature  study.  The  local  intluence  of  a  school  should  always 
be  for  the  improvement  if  it>  constituency.  There  is  no  place  where  more  wide- 
spread good  can  be  done  for  agriculture  than  in  the  rural  schools.     What  might 


41 

foe  termed  agricultural  extension  work  might  well  be  the  subject  for  considerable 
thought  by  every  agricultural  eoUege  of  the  country.  If  it  be  true,  ms  I  think 
we  all  agree,  that  one  of  the  great  functions  of  the  agricultural  college  is  to 
arouse  and  maintain  such  an  Interest  in  agricultural  pursuits  as  shall  commend 
them  to  the  rural  population.  I  think  we  shall  also  agree  that  the  teaching  of 
agricultural  science  In  the  rural  schools  would  be  a  splendid  appetizer  for  an 
agricultural  education.  The  need  ot'  this  becomes  more  Imperative  when  wo 
recognize  that  agriculture  differs  from  many  other  pursuits  in  that  it  Is  not 
disposed  to  take  care  of  Itself.    The  engineering  interests  of  the  country,  the 

banking  interests,  the  business  interests  are  alert   and  awake.      We  may  depend 

upon  them  to  take  care  of  themselves.  Every  college  of  engineering  In  the 
country  looks  carefully  to  the  commercial  demands  that  are  made  upon  its 
graduates.  The  standard  of  education,  the  subjects  t<>  be  pursued,  the  kind  of 
instruction  to  he  given  are  largely  determined  by  commercial  conditions,     if 

this  is  true  so  far  as  agriculture  is  concerned,  the  country  has  not  waked  up  to 
•it.  It  seems  Incumbent,  therefore,  upon  the  teachers  of  agricultural  education 
to  carry  on  a  propaganda.  We  can  save  the  business  of  agriculture  to  our  host 
people  only  by  putting  it  on  a  plane  where  the  host  people  are  demanded  in  its 
management  The  recompense  of  reward  must  not  he  entirely  forgotten  in  the 
adjustment  of  this  problem.  I  look,  therefore,  for  a  future  adjustment  in  our 
programme  of  studies  that  shall  make  provision  in  our  colleges  for  a  depart- 
ment devoted  to  the  expansion  of  agricultural  education  among  the  rural  districts. 
This  work  will  not  be  confined  to  efforts  in  the  rural  schools,  hut  will  be  some- 
what parallel  to  the  correspondence  work  now  carried  on  in  engineering  lines 
and  indeed  in  many  literary  lines.  The  problem  of  agricultural  education  will 
not  he  solved  until  the  agricultural  colleges  have  been  brought  into  close  and 
vital  relation  to  the  agricultural  populations.  This  touch  with  the  agricultural 
population  I  regard  as  of  more  vital  importance  than  touch  with  the  schools. 

VI.  I  suggest  another  phase  of  this  problem  in  the  adjustment  of  the  subject 
of  military  instruction  in  the  colleges.  I  recognize  that  this  subject  is  up  for 
discussion  in  the  programme  of  this  meeting  and  introduce  it  here  with  no  desire 
to  encroach  upon  that  discussion,  but  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  it  to  your 
consideration  in  some  of  its  general  features  as  observed  in  my  own  experience. 
What  is  known  among  us  as  "General  Orders,  No.  05,"  has  forced  this  question  to 
the  attention  of  many  of  the  schools.  Reports  from  Washington  are  to  the  effect 
that  this  order  is  not  complied  with  in  a  number  of  the  colleges.  An  investiga- 
tion into  the  work  actually  done  raises  the  issue  whether  General  Orders. 
No.  65,  is  in  accordance  with  the  Morrill  Act.  That  act,  as  generally  under- 
stood, makes  military  tactics  mandatory  in  all  these  colleges.  The  extension  of 
the  education  therein  provided  is  a  matter  of  subsequent  development  and  should 
be  given  consideration  in  connection  with  the  chief  idea  of  the  Morrill  Act.  It 
seems  incumbent,  therefore,  upon  these  colleges,  and  perhaps  upon  this  associa- 
tion, to  seek  for  a  clearer  definition  of  the  duties  imposed  upon  the  land-grant 
colleges  by  virtue  of  the  Morrill  Act.  The  act  provides  that  certain  subjects, 
including  military  tactics,  should  be  taught.  The  Government  has  never  under- 
taken to  determine  in  what  manner  any  of  these  subjects  shall  he  taught  or  the 
extent  of  the  teaching,  or  in  any  way  to  suggest  a  schedule,  except  in  the  case 
of  military  tactics.  This  has  been  undertaken  by  the  Department  of  War,  but  I 
am  at  a  loss  to  discover  any  warrant  in  law  for  much  that  is  contained  in  the 
latest  order  issued  to  these  colleges. 

Without  attempting  to  direct  the  association.  I  suggest  that  it  is  well  to  con- 
sider here  whether  the  general  idea  of  these  colleges  he  in  industrial  education 
rather  than  military  education.  If  I  am  correctly  informed,  a  literal  compliance 
with  General  Orders,  No.  65,  will  occupy  about  one-half  of  each  day  in  the  week 
throughout  the  entire  year.  The  assignment  to  colleges  is  usually  limited  to  the 
detail  of  a  single  officer.  Where  the  attendance  is  large  and  where,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  institution  in  which  I  serve,  there  are  as  many  as  800  and  sometimes 
more  in  the  cadet  battalion,  it  is  manifestly  impossible  for  any  single  officer  to 
perform  all  the  duties  in  connection  with  military  tactics.  The  cadets  in  these 
institutions  are  not  competent  to  take  the  place  of  instructors.  All  that  can  be 
expected  of  such  cadets  would  he  ability  to  control  in  the  ordinary  movements 
of  company  and  battalion  drills.  Moreover,  there  is  necessity  of  a  constant 
change  in  the  roster  of  the  cadet  officers,  thus  making  their  efficiency  more  ques- 
tionable. The  more  theoretical  and  general  topics  suggested  for  instruction  are 
manifestly  impossible  for  such  officers.  The  instruction  of  the  officers  and  non- 
commissioned officers  of  the  organization  at  the  Ohio  State  University  gives  the 
commandant  a  class  of  more  than  one  hundred  men.     Manifestly  that  is  more 


42 

than  ;i  single  officer  can  do  if  he  is  to  meet  the  requirements  laid  down.  I 
assume  thai  the  Idea  of  military  education  as  set  forth  in  the  Morrill  Act  was  to 
l.i\  the  foundation  for  the  making  of  soldiers,  and  not  the  technical  education  of 
army  officers.  The  amount  of  work,  the  kind  of  work  required,  and  all  other 
such  questions,  therefore,  should  be  determined  not  by  an  army  ideal,  but  by  the 
conditions  tinder  which  these  colleges  must  work.  It  would  Seem,  therefore."  that 
a  complete  military  education  is  out  of  the  question,  and  that  the  work  should 
confine  itself  to  the  teaching  of  the  important  and  fundamental  principles  only. 

Not  Wishing  to  discuss  this  question  at  all  in  detail.  I  mention  it  here  for 
the  purpose  of  suggesting  to  the  association  the  necessity  of  a  Careful  consid- 
eration of  the  place  that  military  tactics  should  occupy 'in  our  programme  of 
subjects.  There  is  manifestly  no  uniformity  of  practice  anion-  the  colleges. 
Moreover,  the  War  Department  lias  insisted  upon  a  strict  compliance  with 
General  Orders.  No.  65.  In  former  years  this  association  has  waited  upon  the 
authorities  with  reference  to  this  subject.  It  would  seem  now  more  than  ever 
incumbent  upon  us  to  make  further  investigation  of  the  subject  and  for  the 
association  to  take  up  such  methods  as  shall  bring  about  a  general  uniformity. 
This  matter,  in  my  judgment  should  not  he  left  to  a  single-handed  controversy 
between  a  particular  college  and  the  War  Department. 

By  way  of  conclusion.  I  now  desire  to  suggest  to  the  association  that  the 
expansion  of  the  type  of  education  for  which  these  colleges  stand  is  a  pressing 
ssity.  The  more  civilization  itself  develops  the  more  imperative  will  be 
the  demands  for  education.  Moreover  it  is  to  be  expected  that  with  the  devel- 
opment of  civilization  the  expenditure  for  protective  purposes  will  relatively 
decrease,  while  the  expenditures  for  the  developmental  functions  of  the  Govern- 
ment will  steadily  increase.  Education  is  the  most'  important  of  all  the  devel- 
opmental functions  in  which  the  Government  engages.  I  lay  it  down,  therefore, 
as  almost  a  self-evident  truth  that  the  tendency  of  the  State  in  the  matter  of 
education  is  permanent  and  that  the  extent  of  the  work  is  sure  to  increase. 
This  applies  to  the  movement  for  public  schools,  for  State  universities,  and  for 
all  other  types  of  public  education.  Now.  these  land-grant  colleges,  whether 
separate  institutions  or  whether  associated  with  State  universities,  represent  a 
distinct  type  of  education,  whose  importance  will  not  decrease,  but  whose  work 
will  expand  with  the  development  of  our  civilization.  Indeed,  a  good  argu- 
ment could  be  made  to  show  that  these  colleges  are  more  closely  related  to  the 
progress  of  civilization  than  any  other  type.  But  passing  that  argument,  I 
wish  only  to  impress  upon  ourselves  at  this  time  the  fact  that  we  are  engaged 
in  a  work  that  shall  be  greatly  increased  in  the  future.  There  ought  to  be, 
therefore,  more  concerted  action  possible  among  these  schools.  At  any  rate  I 
suggest  that  there  ought  to  be  from  this  time  on  a  vigorous  discussion  of  our 
relation  to  the  expanding  civilization  in  which  we  live  and  of  the  ways  and 
means  by  which  these  colleges  shall  be  brought  to  the  highest  efficiency.  The 
States  should  be  brought  to  realize  that  all  provisions  for  these  colleges  are  for 
the  present  only.  They  are  a  part  of  the  State  and  of  the  nation  and  are  truly 
national  colleges  located  within  the  States  for  national  development.  Their 
future  is  certainly  an  increasing  one  and  their  needs  will  steadily  increase. 
Let  us  appreciate  our  opportunity  and  bring  to  the  people  of  this  country  a 
realization,  not  only  of  the  importance  of  the  work  done,  but  the  duty  of  giving 
these  colleges  adequate  support. 

On  motion,  the  convention  adjourned  to  meet  the  next  morning  at  9  o'clock. 

Morning  Session,  Wednesday,  November  2,  1904. 
The  association  was  called  to  order  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.  by  the  president. 
Death  of  Major  Alvord. 

H.  C.  White.  The  executive  committee  called  attention  in  its  report  yester- 
day to  the  sad  occurrence  of  the  death  of  Major  Alvord.  I  now  move  that  a 
committee  of  three,  consisting  of  President  Patterson,  of  Kentucky:  Director 
Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  and  Director  Armsby.  of  Pennsylvania,  be  selected  to 
prepare  suitable  resolutions  of  regret  concerning  the  death  of  Major  Alvord. 

The  motion  was  seconded  and  carried. 


4:; 

Adams    BILL   and   MoNDELL    Mimm,    SCHOOL    BlLL. 

II.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania,  offered  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved.  Thai  the  executive  committee  be  Instructed  t<>  continue  Its  efforts  to 
secure  the  passage  by  Congress  of  the  Mil  increasing  the  appropriation  to  the 
agricultural  experiment  stations  and  the  mining  school  bill. 

On  motion  of  w.  a.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  the  executive  committee  was  in- 
structed to  appoint  a  time  for  the  discussion  of  this  subjecl   i^v  p.  64). 

Standing  <  Jow  m  hi  i  i  s. 

The  question  of  the  status  of  standing  committees  was  briefly  discussed  and 
the  matter  was  referred  to  the  executive  committee  for  reporl  at  the  next. 
convention. 

Methods  of  Teaching  Agbicultt/re — The  Teaching  of  Agriculture   in  the 

Rural  Schools. 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  this  subject,  which  discussed  "The  teaching 
of  agriculture  in  the  rural  common  schools,"  was  read  by  II.  T.  French,  of  Idaho, 
in  the  absence  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  A.  C.  True,  as  follows: 

In  accordance  with  the  apparent  wishes  of  the  association  as  expressed  in  an 
informal  discussion  of  the  report  of  this  committee  at  the  meeting  in  Washing- 
ton last  November,  this  ninth  report  of  the  committee  on  methods  of  teaching 
agriculture0  is  devoted  to  a  discussion  on  the  feasibility  of  teaching  agriculture 
in  the  rural  common  schools,  and  suggestions  regarding  the  nature  and  extent 
of  such  teaching.  In  this  discussion  the  term  "common  schools"  is  taken  to 
mean  schools  giving  instruction  in  grades  below  those  of  the  high  school,  and 
the  term  "rural  schools"  will  include  not  only  the  schools  in  extremely  rural 
districts,  hut  also  those  in  villages  and  small  towns  which  draw  largely  on  the 
adjacent  country  for  pupils  and  financial  support.  It  should  also  he  understood 
that  in  this  report  attention  is  confined  to  matters  relating  to  the  teaching  of 
agriculture  in  the  rural  schools  as  ordinarily  organized  in  our  public  school 
system.  We  have  not  undertaken  here  to  discuss  the  advisability  of  the  estab- 
lishment  of  county  or  district  elementary  schools  of  agriculture  as  separate 
institutions  or  the  courses  of  instruction  suitable  for  such  schools. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IX  THE  COMMON  SCHOOLS. 

Industrial  training  as  a  subject  for  regular  instruction  in  the  common  schools 
has  been  until  recently  confined  largely  to  manual  training  in  the  city  schools, 
and  even  in  these  schools  it  is  still  far  from  being  fully  developed.  However,  the 
number  of  schools  in  which  manual  training  (other  than  drawing)  is  given  has 
increased  rapidly  during  the  past  thirteen  years.  In  1890,  when  the  Bureau  of 
Education  first  began  publishing  the  statistics  of  manual  training  in  the  United 
States,  there  were  only  37  cities  of  8,000  population  and  over  in  which  manual 
training  was  taught  in  the  public  schools:  in  1902  there  were  270  such  cities. 
The  schools  referred  to  are  rho<e  in  which  other  subjects  than  manual  training 
are  mainly  taught. ^  In  25  of  these  schools  manual  training  is  given  in  all 
grades,  including  the  high  school:  in  64  it  begins  with  the  first  grade:  in  ">."> 
it  is  confined  to  the  high  school,  and  in  206  (mere  than  three-fourths  of  all  the 
schoolst  it  is  given  in  some  of  the  grammar  grades. 

The  introduction  of  manual  training  into  courses  of  study  which  were  already 
Crowded  has  involved  problems  requiring  close  and  careful  study  of  the  needs 
of  the  pupils,  and  has  generally  resulted  in  greatly  increasing  the  efficiency  of 
the  schools  in  which  manual  training  is  now  taught.  The  effort  has  been  made 
to  retain  all  the  essentials  of  the  branches  commonly  taught   in  such  schools 

a  For  previous  reports  see  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr..  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  Buls. 
41.  p.  57;  49,  p.  29;  65,  p.  70;  Id.  p.  39;  99,  p.  86:  115,  p.  59;  123,  p.  45;  142. 
p.  63,  and  Circs.  32,  .IT.  39,  41.  45.  40.  and  7C>. 

&  There  were  also,  in  1002.  163  schools  devoted  chiefly  to  manual  and  industrial 
training. 


44 

and  add  the  manna]  training.     This  has  heen  done  by  a  careful  grading  of  the 

pupils,  by  securing  better  teachers  and  text-hooks,  and  by  judicious  and  care- 
ful elimination  of  the  nonessentials  in  the  various  branches. 

The  time  t«»  be  given  to  manual  training,  so  that  it  will  not  interfere  with 
efficient  instruction  in  other  branches,  has  been  carefully  considered,  and 
experiments  with  regard  to  this  have  been  tried.  Some  idea  of  the  time  occu- 
pied by  manual  training  in  some  of  our  larger  cities  can  be  gained  from  the 
following  statements:  In  Boston  2  hours  per  week  are  devoted  to  manual 
training  throughout  the  fourth  to  ninth  grades,  inclusive,  the  hoys  having 
drafting,  woodworking,  and  clay  modeling,  and  the  girls  sewing  and  cooking. 
Manual  training  in  the  schools  of  New  York  City  extends  through  seven 
grades,  with  a  total  of  4  hours  per  week  for  both  hoys  and  girls  during  the 
Qrst  .V.  years,  and  4i  hours  during  the  second  half  of  the  sixth  year  and  all 
of  the  seventh  year.  In  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  of  the  Washington 
schools  the  girls  have  one  2-hour  exercise  a  week  in  cooking  and  sewing,  and 
the  boys  a  similar  period  in  woodworking.  In  Allegheny  the  l»«,ys  have  shop- 
work  '2h  hours  and  drawing  1|  hours"  a  week  for  .'!  years,  and  a  supplementary 
course  of  1  year.  In  Toledo  each  ward  school  has  one  manual  training  period 
of  li  hours  a  week.  The  time  devoted  to  manual  training  in  Los  Angeles  is 
two  20-minute  periods  a  week  through  the  first  four  grades,  and  three  25- 
minute  periods  throughout  the  next  four  grades.  The  work  includes  paper 
folding  and  cutting,  raffia  work,  reed  basketry,  cardboard  construction,  sloyd, 
drawing,  shop  practice,  sewing,  and  cooking.  In  San  Francisco  manual  train- 
ing for  hoys  includes  one  lesson  per  week  of  50  to  GO  minutes  in  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades.  Comparatively  few  of  the  schools  having  manual  training 
give  less  than  an  hour  a  week  to  this  work,  and  the  great  majority  allow  2 
or  more  hours  for  it.  In  most  cases  the  work  extends  over  3,  4.  or  more 
years.  The  average  cost  of  the  plant  for  manual  training  in  the  27<>  cities 
reporting  work  of  this  kind  in  1902  (not  including  manual  training  high 
schools)  was  $20,000.  making  a  total  investment  for  this  purpose  of  $5,400,000. 
The  current  expenditures  for  teachers,  materials,  tools,  etc.,  in  1901-2  were 
nearly  $1,000,000. 

MOVEMENT  TO  INTRODUCE  AGRICULTURE  INTO  THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

More  recently  there  has  developed  a  movement  to  introduce  the  elements  of 
agriculture  into  the  rural  schools.  This  movement  has  heen  largely  an  out- 
growth of  the  nature  study  movement  which  for  a  number  of  years  has  been 
encouraged  by  such  agencies  as  the  Cornell  University  Bureau  of  Nature  Study 
and  the  agricultural  colleges  in  a  number  of  other  States,  as  well  as  by  many 
prominent  educators  connected  with  other  kinds  of  schools  and  colleges.  Then 
came  the  school  garden  movement,  and  in  this  as  in  the  nature  study  movement 
the  city  schools  have  led  thase  in  the  country,  partly  because  the  children  in  the 
city  schools  have  taken  a  greater  interest  in  such  work  on  account  of  its  novelty 
to  them,  and  partly  because  the  city  schools  through  better  organization  and 
equipment  and  special  teachers  have  been  able  to  make  experiments  of  this  kind 
more  readily  than  the  rural  schools.  In  these  experiments,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  mistakes  were  made.  Nature  study,  according  to  some  of  its  advo- 
cates, was  to  be  elementary  science,  with  a  long  list  of  scientific  names,  with 
classifications  based  on  stipules,  scales,  and  caudal  appendages,  and  with  a 
"why*"  for  everything.  It  involved  such  a  universal  knowledge  of  science  that 
teachers  were  appalled  at  the  prospect  of  having  to  prepare  for  the  innovation. 
On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  advocates  of  nature  study  would  have  no  for- 
mality, no  classification,  no  plan — whatever  came  to  hand  was  a  subject  for 
nature  study.  Facts  were  to  be  learned,  not  because  of  any  bearing  that  they 
might  have  upon  the  symmetrical  development  of  the  children's  faculties,  but 
simply  because  they  were  interesting.  There  was  no  logical  beginning  to  such 
study,  no  pedagogical  sequence,  no  end.  Fortunately  there  were  other  teachers 
and  students  of  education  who  took  neither  of  these  extreme  views,  but  who 
saw  in  nature  study  an  opportunity  to  bring  the  children  into  more  sympathetic 
and  helpful  relations  with  their  natural  environment,  and  at  the  same  time 
increase  their  fund  of  useful  knowledge.  These  teachers,  when  located  in  city 
schools,  have  brought  to  the  consideration  of  their  nature  study  classes  the 
trees,  shrubs,  flowers,  and  vines  found  around  the  city  homes,  in  the  parks,  and 
in  the  lawns,  and  have  studied  the  insects,  lards,  and  other  animal  life  of  the 
city  in  relation  to  this  plant  life.  In  the  country  they  have  considered  the 
plants,  animals,  birds,  and  insects  which  surround  the  farmer  and  aid  or  hinder 
him  in  his  work,  giving  much  attention  to  their  economic  importance  and  very 


45 

little  to  any  marked  peculiarities  they  might  chance  t<»  possess.  Such  nature 
study  forms  an  excel lenl  basis  for  the  subsequent  study  of  more  formal  agri- 
culture,    it  lias  been  tried  in  both  city  and  country  schools,  and  lias  been  found 

to  furnish  n  it  only  a  means  for  arousing  and  sustaining  the  Interest  of  the  chil- 
dren, hut  also  through  its  economic  limitations  an  outline  sufficiently  definite 
to  enable  the  teacher  to  know  where  to  stop,  and  yet  sufficiently  flexible  to 
enable  her  to  adapl  ii  t>>  1  ical  conditions. 

Nature  study  such  as  this,  having  an  agricultural  trend,  is  about  all  that  bag 
been  attempted  in  the  way  of  teaching  agriculture  in  the  rural  schools  until 
quite  recently.  Within  the  past  two  or  three  years,  however,  State  superinten- 
dents of  public  instruction,  the  officers  of  some  of  the  agricultural  colleges,  the 
National  Educational  Association,  the  American  Civic  Association,  as  well  as  a 
number  of  other  organizations  and  numerous  individuals  iii  various  official 
positions  have  interested  themselves  in  the  introduction  of  elementary  agri- 
culture and  gardening  in  the  rural  schools.  The  National  Educational  As^n 
ciatiOD  now  has  a  special  committee  of  educators  of  national  repute  considering 
this  subject.  The  American  Civic  Association  has  one  department  devoted  to 
children's  gardens  and  another  to  rural  improvement  Last  June,  in  Chicago, 
an  organization  known  as  the  American  League  of  Industrial  Education  was 
organized  to — 

"conduct  an  educational  campaign  for  an  industrial  public  school  system 
which  should  include  the  teaching  of  domestic  science  and  both  agricultural  and 
manual  training  in  all  public  schools;  *  *  *  to  promote  the  establishment 
of  school  gardens  in  connection  with  all  public  schools,  where  every  child  would 
he  taught  to  he  a  lover  of  nature  and  of  the  country,  and  trained  toward  the 
land  as  a  source  of  livelihood  rather  than  away  from  it;  *  *  *  to  advocate 
the  establishment  of  public  manual  training  school  farms  in  every  county  in  the 
United  States  and  of  as  many  such  manual  training  school  farms  in  the  vicinity 
of  all  cities,  by  State,  municipal,  and  national  governments,  as  may  he  neces- 
sary to  give  to  every  hoy  the  opportunity  to  learn  how  to  earn  his  living  by  his 
labor  and  to  till  the  soil  for  a  livelihood  and  get  his  living  from  the  land." 

Some  of  the  State  school  authorities,  officers  in  agricultural  colleges,  and 
county  superintendents  of  schools  have  prepared  outlined  courses  in  agriculture 
which  have  exerted  a  strong  influence  toward  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the 
rural  schools.  Such  courses  have  heen  prepared,  for  example,  in  Missouri, 
Illinois,  and  Indiana,  and  for  a  group  of  schools  under  one  superintendent  in 
Durham,  N.  H..  and  vicinity. 

The  Illinois  course  in  agriculture  was  prepared  by  the  dean  of  the  college 

of  agriculture,  and  gives  the  following  reasons  for  teaching  agriculture  in  the 

public  schools : 
"(1)  To  cultivate  an  interest  in  and  instill  a  love  and  respect  for  land  and  the 

occupation  of  agriculture. 

"(2)   To  create  a  regard  for  industry  in  general  and  an  appreciation  of  the 
material  side  of  the  affairs  of  a  highly  civilized  people. 
"(3)    To   cultivate   the   active   and   creative    instincts    as   distinct   from    the 

reflective  and  receptive  that  are  otherwise  almost  exclusively  exercised  in  our 

schools. 

"(4)  To  give  practice  in  failure  and  success,  thus  putting  to  the  test  early  in 

life  the  ability  to  do  a  definite  thing. 

"(5)  To  train  the  student  in  ways  and  methods  of  acquiring  information  for 

himself  and  incidentally  to  acquaint  him  with  the  manner  in  which  information 

is  originally  acquired  and  the  world's  stock  of  knowledge  has  been  accumulated. 
"(6)    To  connect  the  school  with  real  life  and  make  the  value  and  need  ^i 

schooling  the  more  apparent. 

"(7)    As  an  avenue  of  communication  between  the  pupil  and  the  teacher,   it 

being  a  field  in  which  the  pupil  will  likely  have  a  larger  bulk  of  information 

than  the  teacher,  but  in  which  the  training  of  the  teacher  can  help  to  more 

exact  knowledge." 

The  course  is  arranged  by  months,  and  gives  suggestions  for  a  large  number 

of  experiments   and  observations   bearing  on   all    the   divisions  of   agriculture. 

Considerable  reading  along  agricultural  iines  is  suggested,  as  well  as  drawing, 

composition,  and  other  work  intended  to  correlate  agriculture  with  other  school 

work.     All  technical  words  likely  to  be  used  frequently  in  this  connection  are 

defined. 

This  course  lias  been  in  the  hands  of  Illinois  teachers  one  year,   and  the 

superintendent  of  public  instruction  reports  "  an  increased  interest  throughout 

the  State  in  the  study  of  agriculture."    He  says : 


46 
"  in  nearly  every  county  in  the  State  i  good  beginning  lias  been  made,  and  in 

several  counties  the  interest  and  progress  has  been  little  less  than  reniarkahle. 
In  many  rural  schools  the  subject  is  being  studied,  following  the  outline  found 
(in  pages  106-180  of  the  Illinois  Course  of  study  for  the  Common  Schools.  Some 
ot  the  graded  schools  are  doing  systematii  and  Intelligent  work  along  this  line 
and  are  conducting  in  connection  with  tin  schools  successful  school  gardens. 
Thai  the  interest  is  growing  is  shown  by  the  many  thousand  requests  tor  corn 
and  seeds,  which  are  received  by  the  secretary  of  the  farmers'   institute." 

Accordiug   to  statistics  collected   by   the  superintendent  of   fanners'    institutes 
•in  Illinois,   fourteen  counties  report  that  in  nearly  all  the  schools  agriculture  la 
being  taught  as  suggested  in  the  State  Course  of  study,  and  in  fifteen  other 
counties  a  majority  of  the  schools  are  attempting  this  work. 

In  addition  to  agricultural  work  in  the  schools  of  Illinois,  considerable  is  done 
by  the  state  College  of  Agriculture,  the  superintendent  and  the  secretary  of 
farmers'  institutes,  and  county  superintendents  of  schools  to  arouse  an  interest 
in  farm  life  by  means  of  eluhs  of  farmers'  hoys,  which  are  organized  in  the  dif- 
ferent counties  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  experiments  at  their  homes  in 
testing  improved  varieties  of  corn  and  sugar  beets:  These  eluhs  hold  regular 
meetings  similar  to  farmers'  institutes,  and  once  a  year  are  given  places  on  the 
programmes  of  the  county  farmers'  irstitutes.  Several  of  these  eluhs  have  had 
lecture  courses,  with  lectures  from  men  prominent  in  the  agricultural  colleges 
and  experiment  stations,  and  some  of  them  have  gone  on  excursions  to  different 
agricultural  colleges.  Eight  thousand  of  these  boys  exhibited  corn  of  their  own 
raising  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  and  1,250  of  them  drew  prizes 
ranging  from  .10  cents  to  .$500.  The  girls  have  similar  organizations,  which  are 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  subjects  relating  to  the  farm  home. 

Similar  organizations  of  boys  and  girls  are  also  found  in  Iowa.  Ohio,  and 
Texas,  all  of  them  organized  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  agricultural  col- 
leges or  of  agricultural  journals.  The  membership  of  the  boys'  and  girls'  clubs 
in  Ohio  is  nearly  2.000  and  in  Texas  over  1.200,  though  the  latter  organizations 
are  little  more  than  a  year  old.  Everywhere  that  work  of  this  kind  has  been 
done  it  has  seemed  to  meet  with  enthusiastic  approval.  The  boys  and  girls 
take  pride  in  their  organizations  and  in  doing  in  a  small  way  what  their  parents 
do  more  extensively. 

In  Missouri  the  course  in  agriculture  for  the  public  schools  was  prepared 
several  years  ago  by  the  State  superintendent  of  schools.  This  course  has  been 
superseded  by  a  bulletin  prepared  by  the  State  superintendent  of  schools  and 
published  by  the  Missouri  State  Board  of  Agriculture  in  September  of  the  pres- 
ent year,  entitled  "  Elements  of  Agriculture  for  the  Public  Schools."  This 
bulletin  advocates  presenting  the  subject  of  agriculture  "(1)  by  experiments 
at  home  and  in  the  field,  (2)  by  studying  facts  as  given  in  texts  and  bulletins, 
and  (3)  by  school  gardens  connected  with  school  grounds." 

"  Teachers  are  advised  to  utilize  school  grounds  or  gardens  near  the  school  as 
experiment  stations,  to  have  pupils  experiment  at  home  and  make  field  observa- 
tions, and  to  secure  bulletins  from  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  from  the  Missouri  State  Board  of  Agriculture  and  from  the  agricul- 
tural college,  both  at  Columbia.  The  sehool  library  should  have  copies  of  sev- 
eral good  texts.  Appeal  to  the  pupils'  interests  along  all  lines  and  enlist  the 
cooperation  of  the  parents." 

The  course  in  agriculture,  as  outlined  in  the  bulletin,  includes  (1)  studies  on 
soil — origin  and  composition,  kinds,  plant  food,  improvement,  rotation  of  crops. 
and  experiments:  i2»  roads — value  of  good  roads,  road  drainage,  artificial 
roads,  good  dirt  roads,  influence  of  roads,  road  laws,  and  experiments;  I  •"■  I 
stttdies  on  seeds  and  related  subjects — germination,  vitality,  and  parts  of  seeds. 
with  experiments  in  corn  planting,  corn  growing,  corn  judging,  selecting  seed 
corn,  and  observations  and  experiments  with  corn  (similar  treatment  of 
wheat):  (4)  studies  of  plants — their  classification,  relation  to  soils,  buds. 
twigs,  etc.:  (5)  orcharding  and  gardening — apples,  grapes,  berries,  home 
gardening,  commercial  gardening,  enemies  to  gardens:  (6)  study  of  insects ; 
(7)  stock  raising  and  feeding— horses,  mules,  cattle.  Sheep,  hogs,  and  domestic 
fowls.  Numerous  experiments  and  observations  are  suggested  throughout 
the  bulletin.  Two  bulletins  have  also  been  issued  by  the  College  of  Agriculture 
of  the  University  of  Missouri  which  are  intended  for  use  in  the  public-  schools. 
One  of  these  is  on  Plant  Propagation  and  the  other  on  The  Principles  of  Plant 
Production — the  Seed. 

The  superintendent  of  public  schools,  the  College  of  Agriculture,  and  the 
State  normal  schools  in  Missouri  are  cooperating  in  agitating  the  introduction 


47 

of  agriculture  luto  the  public  schools  throughout   the  State.    This  is  done  by 

addressing  teachers'  institutes,  far rs'  institutes,  and  other  public  meetings; 

by  conducting  summer  schools  for  teachers  ;it  the  College  of  Agriculture,  In 
which  special  attention  is  given  to  courses  which  will  prepare  them  for  teaching 
agriculture,  and  by  conducting  regular  courses  in  agriculture  at  the  three  State 
normal  schools. 

The  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  Indiana,  in  his  State  Manual 
and  Uniform  Course  of  study  for  the  Elementary  Schools  of  Indiana,  1904-5, 
Includes  a  nature-study  course  intended  "to  acquaint  the  pupil  with  his  environ- 
ment and  to  train  him  to  see  and  understand  the  relationship  and  meaning  of 
common  things,"  and  a  course  in  elementary  agriculture.  The  subjects  BUg- 
gested  for  consideration  in  the  nature  course  are  largely  the  plant  and  animal 
life  of  the  farm  and  the  garden.  The  course  in  agriculture  is  simply  an  outline 
intended  to  guide  the  teacher,  taking  up  for  tirst  consideration  plant  and  animal 
products;  then  the  soil,  its  formation,  nature,  tillage,  and  enrichment;  and, 
finally,  plant  life.  References  are  given  to  a  number  of  bulletins  and  elementary 
text-books  of  agriculture. 

The  department  of  agriculture  of  the  University  of  Minnesota  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  promoting  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the  rural  schools, 
and  its  officers  have  prepared  a  bulletin  on  Rural  School  Agriculture  for  the  use 
of  the  teachers  in  that  State.  In  Wisconsin  the  State  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  and  the  officers  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  of  the  Uni versify 
of  Wisconsin  have  done  much  for  the  introduction  of  agricultural  teaching  in 
the  country.  One  of  the  results  of  their  efforts  has  been  the  enactment  of  a  law- 
requiring  teachers  to  pass  examinations  in  agriculture.  Similar  laws  have  also 
been  enacted  in  Maine,  Nebraska,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and 
Tennessee. 

The  training  of  teachers  along  agricultural  lines  is  receiving  considerable 
attention  not  only  in  Missouri,  as  mentioned  above,  but  also  in  other  States. 
The  College  of  Agriculture  of  Cornell  University  now  provides  a  two-year  nor- 
mal course  in  nature  study  and  gardening.  In  Michigan  ten  county  normal 
training  schools  have  recently  been  opened  for  the  purpose  of  training  teachers 
for  the  rural  schools.  The  course  of  study  recommended  for  these  normal 
schools  by  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction  includes  agriculture. 
The  agricultural  colleges  in  Connecticut,  Nebraska,  and  North  Carolina  have  for 
a  number  of  years  conducted  summer  schools  for  teachers,  at  which  more  or  less 
attention  has  been  given  to  nature  study  and  agriculture.  At  the  Nebraska 
summer  school  in  1901  there  were  23  students  in  nature  study  and  30  in  agricul- 
ture. At  the  North  Carolina  summer  school  for  teachers  in  1904  there  were 
enrolled  977  teachers,  of  whom  477  took  work  in  agriculture.  The  summer 
school  of  the  South,  conducted  at  the  University  of  Tennessee  with  an  annual 
attendance  of  from  1,000  to  1,300  teachers  from  all  parts  of  the  South,  gives 
considerable  attention  to  nature  study  and  gardening. 

One  thing  that  has  given  a  great  impetus  to  the  movement  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  agriculture  into  the  public  schools  has  been  the  improvement  of  text- 
books and  works  of  reference.  Within  the  last  year  or  two  a  number  of  ele- 
mentary text-hooks  in  agriculture  have  been  published,  and  some  of  these  seem 
^^ery  well  suited  to  use  in  the  rural  schools.  One  of  the  indirect  results  of  the 
appearance  of  these  text-hooks  has  been  legislation  in  a  number  of  States 
requiring  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  all  the  rural  schools,  and  adopting  text- 
books for  that  purpose.  State  adoption  of  text-hooks  in  agriculture  has  been 
made  in  Alabama,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  North  Carolina,  and  Tennessee.  Every 
city  and  county  in  Virginia,  a  majority  of  the  counties  in  Maryland,  about  15 
counties  in  California,  and  a  number  of  counties  in  Florida  have  also  adopted 
text-books  in  agriculture  for  regular  use  in  the  public  schools.  It  is  estimated 
from  teachers'  reports  that  at  least  12,000  children  received  instruction  in  agri- 
culture in  North  Carolina  last  year.  Thus  it  will  he  seen  that  there  is  quite  a 
strong  movement  for  the  introduction  of  agriculture  into  the  rural  schools  and 
that  this  movement  is  rapidly  gaining  momentum. 

OBSTACLES    TO    THE    GENERAL    INTRODUCTION    OF    AGRICULTURE    INTO    THE 

RURAL    SCHOOLS. 

There  are  many  things  which  have  a  tendency  to  hinder  the  rapid  progress 
of  this  movement.  One  of  these  is  the  conservatism  or  apathy  of  school  officers. 
This  applies  not  only  to  local  officers  hut  also  to  State  superintendents  of  public 
instruction,  county  superintendents  of  schools,  and  the  officers  of  agricultural 

23880— No.  153—03  M 1 


48 

colleges  in  many  of  the  States.  Borne  of  these  officers  doubt  the  possibility  or 
wisdom  of  teaching  agriculture  En  the  common  schools  on  account  of  the  lack  of 
text-books,  or  the  lack  of  trained  teachers,  or  for  some  other  reason.  It  is. 
however,  a  notable  fact  that  in  the  States  where  such  officials  are  cooperating 
actively  and  earnestly  in  conducting  a  lively  campaign  along  these  lines,  agri- 
culture is  actually  being  taught  with  considerable  success,  and  teachers  who  feel 
that  they  are  unprepared  in  this  branch  are  flocking  to  summer  schools,  where 
they  can  make  the  necessary  preparation. 

Another  difficulty  is  that  the  teachers  in  rural  districts  are  mostly  women 
with  little  or  no  normal  training  either  in  the  ordinary  branches  taught  in  the 
common  schools  or  in  special  subjects.  There  is  no  teaching  profession  in  the 
rural  schools.  The  salaries  are  so  low  that  they  do  not  attract  those  who  have 
prepared  themselves  for  the  profession  of  teaching.  As  a  consequence,  most  of 
the  teachers  found  in  rural  schools  are  beginners  or  those  who  have  not  been 
sufficiently  successful  to  be  called  to  positions  offering  a  higher  salary.  Most 
of  the  men  who  are  teaching  in  the  country  are  doing  so  merely  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  money  to  go  away  to  school  or  to  go  into  business. 

These  conditions  result  in  a  rapid  shifting  of  teachers  from  school  to  school, 
which  is  another  serious  drawback  to  progress  of  any  kind.  Again,  the  terms 
of  school  are  too  short.  When  a  child  can  go  to  school  only  four  or  five  months 
in  the  year  there  is  little  time  in  the  lew  years  that  he  is  in  school  for  the  study 
of  other  subjects  than  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  geography,  and  history. 
Before  much  progress  can  be  made  i:i  the  introduction  of  agriculture  into  the 
rural  schools  much  must  be  done  for  the  general  improvement  of  those  schools. 
This  improvement  will  be  brought  about  partly  by  remedying  the  conditions 
already  mentioned  in  the  school  districts  as  they  are  now  organized,  and  partly 
through  the  consolidation  of  small  districts  and  the  organization  of  centralized 
schools,  including  rural  high  schools  where  village  high  schools  are  not  readily 
available  for  those  who  can  go  beyond  the  grammar  grades.  The  practice  of 
consolidating  schools  has  already  been  resorted  to  in  California,  Colorado,  Con- 
necticut. Florida,  Georgia.  Indiana.  Iowa.  Kansas.  Maine.  Massachusetts,  Mich- 
igan. Minnesota.  Nebraska.  New  Hampshire.  New  Jersey.  New  York,  North 
Dakota.  Ohio.  Pennsylvania.  Rhode  Island.  South  Dakota.  Vermont,  Washington. 
and  Wisconsin.  Notable  movements  toward  the  consolidation  of  schools  have 
recently  been  inaugurated  in  Louisiana.  Missouri,  and  North  Carolina.  While 
this  movement  toward  consolidation  has  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  country, 
there  are  relatively  few  localities  in  any  State  in  which  the  system  has  been 
adopted  and  brought  into  working  order.  Hence  the  full  effect  of  this  important 
change  in  school  policy  has  not  been  felt,  even  in  the  States  where  consolidation 
is  a  feature. 

In  the  localities  where  consolidation  has  been  thoroughly  tried,  however,  it 
has  usually  met  with  general  approval.  It  has  enabled  the  school  officers  to 
grade  the  schools  more  effectually,  thereby  opening  the  way  to  greatly  enriched 
courses  of  study  :  to  lengthen  the-  term  of  school ;  to  employ  better  teachers  at 
higher  salaries  and  keep  them  for  a  number  of  years,  and  to  employ  several 
teachers  instead  of  one,  each  to  give  instruction  in  only  a  few  subjects  or  to 
only  two  or  three  grades,  thereby  opening  the  way  to  the  more  continuous  and 
profitable  employment  of  the  pupils'  time.  It  is  notorious  that  in  the  ordinary 
country  school,  where  the  teacher  has  from  25  to  30  recitations  in  a  day  and  can 
not  personally  direct  the  study  of  the  children,  the  latter  waste  fully  half  of 
their  time  in  idleness  or  mischief-making.  This  and  many  other  defects  of  the 
rural  common  school  are  remedied  by  consolidation,  and  the  transportation  of 
pupils  from  distant  parts  of  the  district  at  public  expense  is  accomplished  at  no 
additional  expense  per  unit  of  attendance.  The  Commissioner  of  Education,  in 
his  annual  report  for  1903,  says:  "The  possibilities  of  consolidation  in  the  way 
of  furnishing  better  and  cheaper  schools  have  been  fully  demonstrated,  and  such 
being  the  case  its  general  adoption  would  seem  to  be  only  a  question  of  time.*' 

While  consolidation  opens  the  way  for  the  more  general  introduction  of 
courses  in  agriculture  in  the  rural  schools,  it  does  not  help  supply  the  demand 
for  teachers  competent  to  give  such  special  instruction.  This  can  only  be  done 
by  a  more  general  and  concerted  effort  on  the  part  of  the  agricultural  colleges 
and  schools  and  the  State  normal  schools,  at  present  through  the  introduction 
of  short  and  special  courses  in  agriculture  for  teachers,  and  later  through 
regular  normal  courses  in  agriculture. 

Fortunately,  the  attention  of  the  general  school  officers  throughout  the 
country  is  now  being  strongly  drawn  toward  the  needs  of  the  rural  schools,  and 


49 

In  many  states  strenuous  efforts  are  being  made  t<»  Improve  the  general  condi- 
tion of  these  schools.  Our  urban  communities  are  coming  to  see  more  clearly 
that  their  prosperity  is  vitally  associated  with  the  prosperity  of  agriculture, 
and  they  therefore  more  readily  assent  to  state  taxation  for  the  benefit  of  the 
rural  as  well  as  the  city  schools.  Advantage  should  be  taken  of  the  increased 
prosperity  of  many  of  our  agricultural  regions  to  impress  upon  our  farmers  the 
wisdom  of  building  better  schoolhouses,  improving  the  school  grounds,  Increas- 
ing the  pay  of  teachers,  and  introducing  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  the 
country  districts  as  an  investment  which  will  greatly  aid  in  perpetuating  and 

increasing  the  prosperity  they  now  enjoy  and  make  the  lot  of  their  descendants 

more  Fortunate  than  their  own.  The  agricultural  colleges  and  the  farmers' 
Institutes  can  have  great  Influence  in  this  direction. 

OBJECT   or   TEACHING    AGRIC1  LTURE. 

Coming  now  to  consider  what  should  he  the  aim  of  instruction  in  agriculture 
in  the  elementary  school  and  how  it  should  he  related  to  the  general  scheme  of 
elementary  education  as  formulated  and  approved  by  educational  authorities, 
we  have  for  our  guidance  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Fifteen  of  the  National 
Educational  Association.  In  this  report  it  is  assumed  and  argued  that  the 
studies  of  the  si  hool  fall  naturally  into  five  coordinate  groups:  (1)  Mathe- 
matics and  physics:  (2)  biology,  including  chiefly  the  plant  and  the  animal: 
(3)  literature  and  art:  (4)  grammar  and  the  technical  and  scientific  study  of 
language:  and  (.">)  history  and  the  study  of  sociological,  political,  and  social 
institutions.  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  LT.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education,  in  a  paper 
discussing  this  report  and  the  necessity  for  five  coordinate  groups  of  studies  in 
the  schools,  says  : 

"  Each  one  of  these  groups,  it  was  assumed,  should  he  represented  in  the 
curriculum  at  all  times  by  some  topic  suited  to  the  age  and  previous  training  of 
the  pupil." 

Continuing,  he  says  : 

"  The  first  stage  of  school  education  is  education  for  culture  and  education  for 
the  purpose  of  gaining  command  of  the  conventionalities  of  intelligence.  These 
conventionalities  are  such  arts  as  reading  and  writing  and  the  use  of  figures, 
technicalities  of  maps,  dictionaries,  the  art  of  drawing,  and  all  of  those  semi- 
mechanical  facilities  which  enable  the  child  to  get  access  to  the  intellectual 
conquests  of  the  race.  Later  on  in  the  school  course,  when  the  pupil  passes  out 
of  his  elementary  studies,  which  partake  more  of  the  nature  of  practice  thau  of 
theory,  he  comes  in  the  secondary  school  and  the  college  to  the  study  of  science 
and  the  technic  necessary  for  its  preservation  and  communication.  All  these 
things  belong  to  the  first  stage  of  school  instruction  whose  aim  is  culture.  On 
the  other  hand,  post-graduate  work  and  the  work  of  professional  schools  have 
not  the  aim  of  culture  as  much  as  the  aim  of  fitting  the  person  for  a  social  voca- 
tion. In  the  post-graduate  work  of  universities  the  demand  is  for  original 
investigation  in  special  fields.  In  the  professional  school  the  student  masters 
the  elements  of  a  particular  practice,  learning  its  theory  and  its  art. 

"It  is  in  the  first  stage,  the  schools  for  culture,  that  these  five  coordinate 
branches  should  be  represented  in  a  symmetrical  manner.  It  is  not  to  be 
thought  that  a  course  of  university  study  or  that  of  a  professional  school  should 
he  symmetrical.  But  specializing  should  follow  a  course  of  study  for  culture  in 
which  the  symmetrical  whole  of  human  learning  and  the  symmetrical  whole  of 
the  soul  should  be  considered.  From  the  primary  school,  therefore,  on  through 
the  academic  course  of  the  college,  there  should  be  symmetry  and  five  coordinate 
groups  of  studies  represented  at  each  part  of  the  course — at  least  in  each  year, 
although  perhaps  not  throughout  each  part  of  the  year." 

Discussing  the  second  coordinate  group,  the  biological.  Doctor  Harris  argues 
that  it  should  include  "  whatever  is  organic  in  nature — especially  studies 
relating  to  the  plant  and  the  animal — the  growth  of  material  for  food  and  cloth- 
ing, and  in  a  large  measure  for  means  of  transportation  and  culture.  This 
study  of  the  organic  phase  of  nature  forms  a  great  portion  of  the  branch  of 
study  known  as  geography  in  the  elementary  school."' 

While  it  is  probably  true  that  eight  years  ago,  when  this  was  written,  geog- 
raphy as  taught  in  the  primary  grades  of  the  best  city  schools  included  all  the 
studies  relating  to  the  plant  and  the  animal  that  were  at  that  time  considered 
necessary,  it  is  also  true  that  at  the  present  time  much  of  this  study  is  iutro- 


50 

duced  under  the  term  "nature  study,"  and  the  child's  knowledge  of  the  phe- 
nomena of  plant  and  animal  life  is  much  clearer  and  more  definite  by  reason  of 
the  concrete  methods  employed  in  nature  study. 

In  the  average  village  and  rural  school  nothing  approaching  adequate  instruc- 
tion in  the  biological  group  of  studies  has  ever  heen  given.  Geography,  as  far 
as  taught  in  the  primary  grades,  has  consisted  almost  entirely  of  text-book 
work,  and  has  had  in  it  very  little  that  is  concrete  or  that  touches  the  experience 
of  the  child.  Nature  study,  on  the  other  hand,  begins  with  the  concrete — with 
the  organic  life  of  the  school  yard,  the  garden,  and  the  farm.  It  has,  therefore, 
a  very  definite  and  useful  place  to  fill  among  the  culture  studies,  particularly 
the  biological  studios  of  the  primary  grades.  Elementary  nature  study,  together 
with  an  informal  study  of  local  geography,  might  well  supersede  the  formal 
study  of  geography  during  the  first  three  or  four  years.  This- should  he  fol- 
lowed by  more  formal  geography  and  nature  study,  the  latter  to  he  superseded 
by  the  elements  of  agriculture  when  the  child  is  eleven  or  twelve  years  old. 

Agriculture  should  not  be  confused  with  manual  training  as  taught  in  the  city 
schools.  Manual  training  "  relates  to  the  transformation  of  materials  such  as 
wood  or  stone  or  other  minerals  into  structures  for  human  use,"  and  draws  more 
from  the  mathematical  group  of  studies  than  from  the  biological.  Agriculture, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  confined  mainly  to  things  biological.  Its  purpose  in  the 
common  schools  is  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  work  and  life  of  the  farm,  show 
the  progress  being  made  in  the  improvement  of  farming,  indicate  the  rational  and 
scientific  basis  of  modern  agriculture,  and  give  the  pupil  an  outlook  toward  the 
work  of  the  experiment  stations,  agricultural  schools  and  colleges,  and  other 
agencies  for  his  future  education  or  assistance  in  his  life  work. 

The  motive  for  teaching  agriculture  in  the  rural  school  may,  however,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  be  the  same  as  that  for  manual  training  in  the  city  school — 
namely,  to  bring  the  child  into  direct  and  sympathetic  relations  with  the  indus- 
trial life  of  the  community  in.  which  he  lives.  Undoubtedly,  manual  training  in 
the  city  school  has  an  outlook  toward  the  shop,  factory,  and  kitchen,  and  in  the 
same  way  agriculture  in  the  rural  school  should  be  directly  related  to  the  prac- 
tical work  of  the  farm. 

A  REASONABLE  PROGRAMME  FOR  AGRICULTURAL  TEACHING  IN   THE  RURAL 

COMMON  SCHOOLS. 

Whenever  it  is  proposed  to  introduce  the  teaching  of  agriculture  into  the  rural 
common  schools  the  objection  is  at  once  raised  that  the  curriculum  is  already 
crowded ;  there  is  no  time  for  more.  This  is  true.  There  is  no  time  for  more, 
but  there  is  time  for  better.  It  would  be  undesirable  and  unwise  to  do  away 
with  any  of  the  studies  now  regularly  taught  in  the  common  schools,  but  it  would 
be  wise  to  make  a  more  judicious  selection  of  the  topics  to  be  included  in  the 
courses  in  the  various  branches  and  omit  much  which  now  occupies  the  time  of 
the  pupils  but  which  is  not  likely  ever  to  be  of  use  to  them.  Prof.  Frank  M. 
ji (-Murray,  of  the  Teachers'  College  of  Columbia  University,  in  a  recent  article 
discussing  Advisable  Omissions  from  the  Elementary  Curriculum,  and  the 
basis  for  them,**  says,  "  Life  is  too  full  of  large  specific  ends  to  be  attained  to 
allow  time  for  work  that  has  no  really  tangible  object."  As  a  basis  for  the 
rejection  of  subject-matter  from  school  courses  he  holds  to  the  following  propo- 
sitions : 

"(1)  Whatever  can  not  be  shown  td  have  a  plain  relation  to  some  real  need  of 
life,  whether  it  be  aesthetic,  ethical,  or  utilitarian  in  the  narrower  sense,  must  be 
dropped. 

"(2)   Whatever  is  not  reasonably  within  the  child's  comprehension,  likewise. 

"(3)  Whatever  is  unlikely  to  appeal  to  his  interest;  unless  it  is  positively 
demanded  for  the  first  very  weighty  reason. 

"(4)  Whatever  topics  and  details  are  so  isolated  or  irrelevant  that  they  fall 
to  be  a  part  of  any  series  or  chain  of  ideas,  and  therefore  fail  to  be  necessary 
for  the  appreciation  of  any  large  point.  This  standard,  however,  not  to  apply 
to  the  three  R's  and  spelling." 

lie  does  not  favor  the  entire  omission  of  any  subject  now  taught  in  the  ele- 
mentary schools,  but  does  recommend  the  omission  of  particular  topics  and 
details.     Omission,  however,   is  not  the  only  remedy  that  he  suggests  for  the 

a  Ed.  Rev.,  27  (1004).  No.  5,  p.  478. 


51 

crowded  condition  of  the  elementary  school  curriculum,  in  the  last  paragraph 
of  this  article  be  Bays : 

"In  conclusion,  although  some  large  topics  should  be  omitted,  reform  In  the 
main  is  not  to  i>c  effected  by  lopping  off  here  and  there,  but  by  changing  the 
present  aggregation  <>i*  ideas  In  each  study  to  an  organized  body  of  thought     it 

is  not  the  task  of  grade  teachers  qot  Of  scientists,  hut  of  the  most  advanced  and 
nblesl  students  of  education,  who  are  as  well  posted  in  subject-matter  as  in  the 
principles  of  education  itself.  Even  these  have  more  than  a  life  problem  in 
Mich  a  task." 

It   is  along  lines  such  as  these  that   the  curriculum  of  the  rural  schools  may  be 

so  far  Improved  that  there  will  he  ample  space  for  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in 

an  effective  way.  Just  as  the  courses  in  the  city  schools  have  been  improved 
and  enriched  by  the  introduction  of  manual  training,  so  the  teaching  of  agricul- 
ture in  the  rural  schools,  when  once  parents  and  teachers  are  convinced  of  its 
importance  and  heneiits.  will  be  found  to  be  both  practicable  and  advantageous, 
in  a  rural  school  having  a  curriculum  extending  over  aboul  eight  years  the 
courses  in  nature  study  might  follow  in  a  general  way  the  brief  outlines  given 
below.  In  these  outlines  it  is  assumed  that  the  nature-study  courses  will  extend 
over  about  six  years,  and  he  followed  by  a  course  in  agriculture  extending  over 
two  years. 

NATURE    STUDY. 

During  the  first  two  or  three  years  in  school  the  children  should  spend  a 
short  time  each  week  in  forming  an  acquaintance  with  the  birds,  insects,  flowers, 
trees,  and  other  animal  and  plant  life  of  the  school  yard,  the  roadside,  and  the 
wayside  pastures  and  wood  lots.  This  very  pleasant  and  profitable  way  of 
gaining  knowledge  has  heen  their  principal  occupation  during  the  two  or  three 
years  that  they  have  heen  running  about  out  of  doors  at  home,  and  they  should 
be  encouraged  and  aided  to  extend  their  knowledge  of  the  things  in  nature  with 
which  they  are  likely  to  come  in  daily  contact  throughout  their  lives.  The 
teacher  should  go  with  the  children  on  short  walks  around  the  school  yard  and 
along  the  roads  during  occasional  noon  intermissions,  or  on  longer  trips  in  the 
holds  and  woods  on  Saturdays.  It  would  he  well  if  only  a  few  children  were 
taken  at  a  time;  ten  or  fifteen  are  all  that  one  teacher  can  manage  on  such 
occasions.  Each  trip  should  he  taken  with  some  leading  ohject  in  view,  such, 
for  example,  as  a  search  for  cocoons,  or  for  grasshoppers,  or  for  weed  seeds; 
but  this  leading  ohject  should  not  shut  the  eyes  of  the  children  to  other  things. 
Let  them  see  and  hear  and  feel  and  smell ;  let  them  grow  in  strength  as  well 
as  in  knowledge.  Tell  them  very  little;  they  should  do  the  telling.  Better  wait 
days  and  weeks  for  an  answer  from  the  children  than  tell  them  now  and  rob 
them  of  the  pleasure  of  discovery,  provided  the  subject  is  within  their  com- 
prehension. 

Nature  study  at  rirst  should  consist  mainly  of  observations.  The  perceptive 
faculties  should  he  stimulated  and  developed.  For  this  reason  the  exercises 
should  never  he  continued  so  long  as  to  become  wearisome  to  the  children.  At 
first  there  will  seem  to  he  hut  little  connection  between  the  different  observa- 
tions made  by  the  children,  hut  the  teacher  should  never  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that  very  real  and  definite  relationships  exist  between  the  different  plants  and 
animals  of  a  given  locality  and  between  these  things  and  their  inorganic 
environment.  Gradually,  therefore,  these  relationships  should  be  brought  out. 
The  children  should  describe  and  draw  the  objects  seen.  This  will  lead  to  com- 
parison and  judgment.  Suppose,  for  example,  that  the  children  examine  two 
trees  of  the  same  species,  one  growing  in  open  ground  with  an  abundance  of 
plant  food  and  plenty  of  room  for  development :  the  other  growing  in  a  dense 
forest  with  little  room  for  either  root  or  branch;  one  with  short,  stocky  trunk 
and  dense,  symmetrical  top;  the  other  with  tall,  slender  trunk  and  small, 
irregular  top.  By  comparing  certain  well-known  features  of  bark  and  leaves 
the  children  will  readily  recognize  the  two  trees  as  belonging  to  the  same 
species,  but  it  will  require  considerable  exercise  of  the  reasoning  faculties  and 
pretty  good  judgment  for  them  to  get  at  the  causes  which  have  brought  about 
the  marked  differences  between  them.  Such  opportunities  to  reason  and  judge 
are  frequently  offered  in  nature  study,  and  the  teacher  should  improve  every 
(  pportunity  to  place  them  before  her  pupils. 

After  the  first  year  or  two.  the  time  depending  on  the  ] iro^ress  the  children 
have  made,  more  attention  should  be  given  to  studying  life  histories  of  plants 


and  animals  (especially  birds  and  insects  i.  so  that  these  may  ho  recognized  in 
all  stages  of  their  development,  and  their  economic  relations  determined. 
This  will  enable  the  pupils  to  decide  whether  a  given  species  is  mainly 
beneficial  <>r  harmful  and  will  set  them  to  thinking  about  means  of  per- 
petuating or  exterminating  the  species.  This  last  consideration  is  the  one 
which  mainly  determines  the  attitude  of  the  farmer  toward  his  field  crops, 
domestic  animals,  and  fowls,  as  well  as  toward  the  weeds  and  other  posts 
that  annoy  him.  When  the  nature-study  teacher  and  her  pnpils  have 
arrived  at  this  point  of  view  they  will  be  in  a  position  to  pass  over  as 
unimportant  such  details  as  color  of  hair,  length  and  number  of  teeth, 
number  of  leaves,  length  of  petioles  and  internodes.  and  a  hundred  other 
peculiarities  of  plants  and  animals,  except  as  these  peculiarities  have  a  direct 
hearing  upon  the  perpetuation  of  the  species  or  upon  their  usefulness  or  harm- 
fulness  to  man.  Such  a  point  of  view  and  such  an  attitude  toward  the  things 
studied  will  aid  greatly  in  developing  in  the  children  the  faculty  of  critical  dis- 
cernment. This  faculty,  according  to  President  Eliot,  of  Harvard,  "ought  to 
be  carefully  and  incessantly  cultivated  by  school,  college,  and  the  experience  of 
life,  for  it  is  capable  of  contributing  greatly  to  happiness  as  well  as  to  material 
success." 

Such  critical  studies  of  plants,  animals,  soils,  weather  conditions,  and  other 
natural  objects  aud  phenomena,  in  their  relation  to  each  other  and  to  man,  will 
give  the  pupils  an  excellent  preparation  to  take  up  at  the  beginning  of  their 
sixth  or  seventh  year  in  school  the  more  formal  study  of  the  elements  of 
agriculture. 

ELEMENTARY    AGRICULTURE. 

The  course  in  elementary  agriculture  may  be  given  most  appropriately  during 
the  last  two  years  in  the  rural  common  school.  The  time  to  be  devoted  to  this 
course  will  necessarily  vary  in  different  schools,  but  it  is  believed  that  on  the 
average  not  less  than  one  hour  per  week  during  two  years  will  be  required  to 
make  the  course  effective.  A  well-arranged  and  up-to-date  text-book,  with  illus- 
trations and  suggestions  for  practical  exercises,  should  be  adopted  as  a  basis  for 
this  study.  A  few  such  books  already  exist,  and  an  increased  demand  would 
undoubtedly  lead  to  the  production  of  others  aud  the  still  further  improvement 
of  books  of  this  class.  The  text-book  will  in  most  cases  be  necessary  as  a  more 
or  less  definite  guide  for  the  teacher,  who  will  in  all  probability  be  without 
special  training  in  agriculture.  It  will  also  be  helpful  to  the  pupils  in  giving 
a  systematic  view  and  in  fixing  definite  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  to  the 
parents  in  showing  them  what  such  instruction  really  involves  and  in  creating 
an  interest  in  the  subject-matter  of  the  books. 

The  instruction  in  the  class  room  should  be  supplemented  by  simple  experi- 
ments with  soils,  plants,  and  animals  both  at  school  and  at  home.  Every  effort 
should  be  made  to  connect  the  instruction  with  the  home  life  of  the  pupils.  As 
an  aid  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  aim  the  pupils  should  be  taken  on  occa- 
sional Saturday  excursions  to  neighboring  farms  to  see  improved  live  stock, 
examine  plans  of  buildiugs.  and  take  notes  on  methods  of  cropping  and  cultivat- 
ing. Visits  to  county  fairs,  where  arrangements  could  be  made  to  allow  the 
older  pupils  to  judge  some  of  the  live  stock,  fruits,  and  grain,  and  compare  their 
scores  with  the  work  of  the  judges,  would  be  fine  training  for  the  classes  in 
agriculture.  This  scheme  has  been  tried  with  older  students  of  agriculture  and 
has  met  with  thorough  approval.  The  officers  of  the  fairs  could  probably  be 
induced  to  offer  prizes  for  products  grown  by  the  pupils  and  for  other  agricul- 
tural work  done  by  them:  or  special  exhibits  of  their  work  could  be  made  at 
farmers'  institutes  or  other  meetings  attended  by  their  parents.  All  these 
things  would  tend  to  create  an  interest  in  farm  life,  and  would  encourage  parents 
to  make  the  farm  more  attractive  to  the  children. 

The  schoolrooms  should  be  provided  with  illustrative  material  consisting  of 
charts,  pictures,  collections  of  specimens  (largely  made  by  the  pupils),  and 
boxes,  cans,  plates,  and  other  inexpensive  material  which  can  be  used  in  making 
apparatus  for  conducting  experiments.  There  should  also  be  a  school  library 
containing  at  least  a  few  standard  reference  books  on  the  different  divisions  of 
agriculture  and  the  publications  of  the  State  experiment  stations  and  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture. 

The  text-book  of  agriculture  should  give  an  orderly  and  progressive  treatment 
of  the  elements  of  plant  production,  animal  production,  and  dairying,  together 
with  brief  and  very  elementary  discussions  of  a  few  topics  in  rural  engineering 


53 

and  rural  economics.    The  following  syllabus  shows  in  a  general  way  what  sucta 
n  text-book  might  Include : 

SYLLABUS   OF   ELEMENTARY    COURSE   IX   AGBICULTUBE.0 

1.    PL  wr    PRODUCTION. 


(1)  The  plant 


Structure. 


Physiology — 
how  plants 


Feed. 
Grow 


Reproduce  by 


Seeds 


Bulbs. 
Cuttings. 
Grafts. 
Buds. 


Trace  life  histo- 
ry from  seed 
to  seed,  not- 
i  n  g  pollina- 
tion, crosses. 
hybrids,  etc. 


(2)  The  environment  of  the 


Climate 


PLANT. 


Soil 


Light. 
Heat. 
Moisture. 
Air. 


Study  these  in 
relation  to 
plant  growth. 


Nature  and  functions. 
Origin. 


Properties 


Classifica- 
tion. 


Temperature. 

Aeration. 

Moisture. 


Distinguish  be- 
tween light 
and  heavy 
soils,  porous 
and  impervi- 
ous soils,  soils 
that  bake  and 
those  which 
do  not.  etc. 

Main  classes, 
such  as  sand, 
clay,  loam, 
peat,  silt. 


Tillage. 

Drainage. 

Irrigation. 


^  -sar 


Farm  ma- 
nures. 

Commer- 
cial fer- 
tilizers. 


Impoverishment. 
Cropping— rotation. 


a  In  this  syllabus  the  same  general  arrangement  of  topics  has  been  made  as  in 
the  higher  courses  outlined  by  this  committee,  but  it  is  of  course  to  be  under- 
stood that  the  treatment  of  these  topics  by  the  teacher  in  the  common  school 
should  be  brief,  simple,  and  elementary. 


54 


(3)  Farm  crops. 


Classification. 


i  Include  only  the  most  general  classes,  such 
1     as  cereals,  grasses,  legumes,  tubers,  etc. 

Name. 

Place  in  classification. 

Varieties. 


I  n  d  i  v  i  d  u  a  1 
crops,  i  Study 
one  or  more  of 
the    leading 

crops   of    the 
region.) 


Culture 


Preparation  of  soil. 
Selection  of  seed. 
Testing  of  seed. 
Planting. 

Cultivating. 


Pro  t  e  c  t  i  o  n 
from  pests. 

Harvesting. 
Marketing. 


Weeds. 
Diseases. 

Insect-. 

Birds. 

Mammals. 


(4)  Fruits 


One  or  more  of  the  leading  fruits  of  the  region  should  be 

studied  in  the  same  manner  as  farm  crops. 


II.    ANIMAL   PRODUCTION. 


(1)  Domestic  animals— 
their  types  and 

BREEDS. 


I  Draft. 
Horses  .A  Trotting. 


Cattle 


Sheep  .. 

Swine. 

Poultry. 

Bees. 


Roadsters,  etc. 

Dairv. 
Beef! 

I  Wool. 
I  Mutton. 


Bring  out  leading  char- 
acteristics of  one  or  two 
leading  breeds  of  each 
type  represented  in  a 
given  region. 


3    Care  and  management  of  do- 
mestic ANIMALS. 


Feedim 


Hv^iene 


Only  the  most  general  state- 
ments regarding  the  food 
requirements  of  different 
animals  and  for  different 
purposes,  and  exercises  in 
compounding  rations  suit- 
able to  a  given  region. 


Water  supply 
Exercise. 
Shade. 
Condition  of 

inclosures 

as  to 


Comfort. 

Ventilation. 

Cleanliness. 


Preparation  and  care  of  product. 
Marketing  product. 


III.   DAIRYING. 


(I)  The  dairy  i  ow 


T  i  A  more  detailed  study  of  the  dairy  type 

yp  |      than  was  given  under  animal  production. 

Feeding,  care,  and  management. 


:,:, 


(2)  Milk 


<  '<  imposition 


Handling 


|  How  determined. 
\  Relation  to  price. 


[  Stables. 
I  Cow-. 
I  Attendants. 
i  Vessels. 


Cleanliness 

Straining. 
Aerating. 
t  Cooling. 


For  consumption  as  milk 
or  cream. 


Relation  to 
souring  [or 
tainting 

milk. 


of 


Uses 


Putting  up  in 
cans  or  bottles. 
Marketing. 


For     con- 
densing. 


Putting  in 
cans  and 
hauling. 


For  cheese  making. 

Creaming 


By    setting    in 

pans. 
By  use  of  sep- 
arator. 

Temperature. 
For    butter     Churning  .    ]  K  i  n  d  s        of 
making:.      )  [      churns. 

Salting. 

Coloring. 

Working. 

Packing. 
„  Marketing. 

IV.    RURAL    ENGINEERING. 

It  is  not  thought  that  the  pupils  in  a  rural  common  school  will  be  prepared 
to  study  the  problems  involved  in  rural  engineering  from  the  view  point  of  the 
engineer,  but  it  is  hoped  that  there  will  he  some  opportunity  to  examine  the 
plans  and  structure  of  good  types  of  buildings,  fences,  roads,  etc..  and  to  devote 
some  time  to  drawing  simple  plans  of  farms,  buildings,  and  other  works.  The 
importance  of  good  roads,  hygienic  water  supply  and  sewage  disposal,  and  of 
caring  for  farm  machinery  should  be  emphasized. 


(1)  Farm  plans 


{Size  and  location  of  fields. 
Location   of    buildings,    fences,    drains, 
and  roads. 


(2)  Construction  of  buildings  and 

WORKS. 


Buildings 


House. 

Barn. 

Outbuildings. 

Fences. 


Water  system. 
Sewage  s\stem. 
Roads. 


Irrigating  system 


(3)  Farm  machinery 


Only  in  regions 
where  irrigation 
is  practiced. 

Interesting  facts  regarding  the  develop- 
ment of  farm  machinery  in  a  way  to 
encourage  the  more  general  use  of  im- 
proved machinery. 

The  importance  of  caring  for  and  repair- 
ing farm  machinerv. 


56 


V.    RURAL   ECONOMICS. 

Most  of  the  topics  under  rural  economics  are  too  broad  to  be  included  in  a 
brief  course  in  agriculture,  or  too  complex  fr  the  comprehension  of  common 
school  pupils.  It  is  thought,  however,  that  some  of  the  general  principles  of 
marketing  and  farm  accounts  might  be  taught  in  this  connection.  The  main  fac- 
tors in  marketing  will  probably  be  best  considered  in  connection  with  the  dis- 
posal of  particular  products  as  indicated  above  under  plant  production,  animal 
production,  and  dairying.     The  following  topics  are  appropriate  for  this  course: 


(1)  Marketing. 


Preparation  for  market. 
Choice  of  market. 
Transportation . 
Method  and  cost  of  sale. 


(2)  Farm  accounts. 


Feed  and  milk  records. 
Crop  records. 
Breeding  records. 
Inventories. 
Bookkeeping. 


The  report  was  accepted. 


This  to  include  onty  the  most 
general  suggestions  and  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  importance  of 
keeping  full  and  accurate  rec- 
ords. 

A.  C.  True, 
H.  H.  Wing, 
T.  F.  Hunt, 
H.  T.   French, 
J.  F.  Duggar, 

Committee. 


The  Social  Phase  of  Agricultural  Education. 


Butterfield.  of  Rhode  Island. 


A  paper  on  this  subject  was  presented  by  K.  L. 
as  follows : 

I  have  been  asked  to  speak  in  behalf  of  the  study  of  "  rural  economics."  This 
term  is,  I  presume,  supposed  to  cover  broadly  those  subjects  which  treat  of 
the  economic  and  social  questions  that  concern  farming  and  farmers.  The 
whole  range  of  social  science  as  applied  to  rural  conditions  is  thus  apparently 
made  legitimate  territory  for  discussion.  In  view  of  the  importance  and  char- 
acter of  this  field  of  study,  it  seems  wise  to  approach  it,  if  possible,  through  the 
avenue  of  its  underlying  philosophy.  Only  in  this  way  can  the  validity  of  the 
subject  be  established  and  its  place  in  agricultural  education  be  justified.  I 
have  therefore  chosen  as  a  specific  title  "  The  Social  Phase  of  Agricultural 
Education."  In  the  treatment  of  the  topic  an  endeavor  has  been  made  to  hold 
consistently  in  mind  the  point  of  view  of  the  agricultural  college. 

It  is  a  principle  in  social  science  that  the  method  and  scope  of  any  social 
institution  depend  upon  its  function.  Therefore  the  organization,  the  methods, 
and  the  courses  of  the  agricultural  college  should  be  made  with  reference  to  the 
function  of  the  college.  What  is  this  function?  What  is  the  college  designed 
to  accomplish?  What  is  its  social  purpose?  Why  does  society  need  the  agri- 
cultural college?  Answers  to  these  questions  are  of  two  kinds — those  that 
explain  the  contemporary  and  passing  functions  of  the  college,  and  those  that 
illustrate  its  permanent  and  abiding  service  to  society  and  particularly  to  the 
rural  portion  of  society.  The  college  of  yesterday  was  obliged  to  train  its  own 
teachers  and  experimenters :  to-day  it  may  add  the  task  of  training  farm 
superintendents;  to-morrow  it  may  organize  an  adequate  extension  department. 
Courses  and  methods  will  change  as  new  contemporary  needs  arise,  but  there 
remains  always  the  abiding  final  service  of  the  agricultural  college — its  per- 
manent function.  This  function  will  be  defined  in  different  ways  by  different 
men,  but  I  venture  to  define  it  as  follows:  The  permanent  function  of  the  agri- 
cultural college  is  to  serve  as  a  social  organ  or  agency  of  first  importance  in 
helping  to  solve  all  phases  of  the  rural  problem.  We  shall  not  attempt  at  once 
to  argue  this  proposition.  We  must,  however,  try  to  answer  the  question, 
What  is  the  rural  problem?  And  in  the  answer  may  be  revealed,  without  need 
of  extended  discussion,  the  mission  of  the. college. 

(1)  The  days  are  going  by  when  agriculture  may  be  classed  with  the  mining 
industries.     Soil  culture  is  supplanting  pioneer   farming.     Skill   is  taking  the 


57 

place  of  empiricism.  The  despotism  of  the  grandfather  Is  passing.  Applied 
science  and  business  practice  hare  been  bitched  to  1 1 1 « -  plow,  ret  the  most 
obvious  need  of  American  agriculture  is  better  farming,  improved  farm  land 
in  the  United  states  gives  bul  $9  of  gross  return  per  acre.  The  average  yield 
per  acre  of  corn  is  23.5  bushels,  whereas  a  very  modes!  ideal  would  be  double 
this  amount  The  wheat  yield  is  13.5  bushels  per  acre;  in  Germany  nearly 
twice  as  much.  These  are  crude,  hut  legitimate,  illustrations  of  our  inferior 
farming.  We  must  have  greater  yields  of  better  products,  secured  at  less  cost 
per  unit.  The  farm  problem  is  therefore  Bret  of  all  a  problem  of  increasing 
the  technical  skill  of  our  farmers.  Science  unlocks  the  cabinet  of  Nature's 
treasures,  but  only  the  artist  farmer  can  appreciate  and  use  the  storehouse 
thus  opened  to  him. 

1 1'  i  But  produce  growing  is  not  the  only  aspect  of  the  farm  problem.  Each 
effective  pair  of  shears  needs  two  blades;  in  this  case  produce  selling  is  the 
other  blade.  Mere  productiveness  does  not  solve  the  farm  question.  The 
farmer  cares  less  for  the  second  spear  of  grass  than  he  does  lor  a  proper  return 
from  the  first  spear.  Business  s*kill  must  be  added  to  better  farming  methods. 
The  farm  problem  is  also  a  business  question. 

(3)  The  moment,  however,  we  begin  to  discuss  price  we  enter  a  realm  where 
economic  factors  dominate.  We  commonly  say  demand  and  supply  determine 
price;  but  effective  demand  and  effective  supply  are  the  resultants  of  many 
forces.  The  supply  of  a  given  product  is  influenced  by  the  cost  of  growing  in 
various  locations,  by  cost  of  transportation,  by  competition  of  other  countries. 
The  demand  is  influenced  by  the  state  of  wages,  by  standards  of  living,  by  effect- 
iveness of  distribution.  The  farmer  may  not  always  control  these  conditions, 
but  he  must  reckon  with  them.  He  must  know  the  laws  of  economics  as  well 
as  the  laws  of  soil  fertility.  The  farm  problem  becomes  then  an  industrial 
question,  for  the  farmer's  prosperity  is  influenced  most  profoundly  by  the 
economic  life  of  the  nation  raid  of  the  world.  And  in  a  still  wider  sense  is  the 
rural  question  one  of  economics.  The  industry  as  a  whole  must  prosper.  Jt  is 
of  no  great  moment  that  here  and  there  a  farmer  succeeds.  The  farming  class 
must  prosper.  Of  course  individual  success  in  the  case  of  a  sufficient  number 
of  farmers  implies  the  success  of  the  industry,  but  it  is  quite  possible  to  have 
f\  stagnant  industry  alongside  numerous  individual  successes.  The  farmers  as  a 
whole  must  be  continually  and  speedily  advancing  to  better  economic  conditions. 

(-1)  Nor  may  we  ignore  the  political  factor  in  the  rural  problem.  Doubtless 
the  American  farmer,  like  most  Americans,  places  undue  reliance  upon  legisla- 
tion. But  we  can  not  disregard  the  profound  industrial  and  social  effects  of 
either  wise  or  foolish  laws.  The  political  efficiency  of  the  farmer  will  have 
much  to  do  in  determining  class  progress.  Furthermore,  the  political  duties  of 
farmers  must  he  enforced,  their  influence  must  continue  to  he  exerted  in  behalf 
of  the  general  policies  of  government.  It  is  of  vital  consequence  to  our  demo- 
cratic government  that  the  American  farmer  shall  in  nowise  lose  his  political 
instinct  and  effectiveness. 

(5)  The  consideration  of  the  political  phase  of  the  question  leads  us  to  the 
heart  of  the  farm  problem.  For  it  is  conceivable  that  the  farmers  of  this 
country  may  as  a  class  be  skilled  growers  of  produce,  successful  sellers  of 
what  they  grow,  and  indeed  that  the  industry  as  a  whole  may  be  prosperous, 
and  yet  the  farming  class  in  its  general  social  and  intellectual  power  fail  to 
keep  pace  with  other  classes.  It  is  not  impossible  that  a  landlord-and-tenant 
system,  or  even  a  peasant  system,  should  yield  fairly  satisfactory  industrial 
conditions.  But  who  for  a  moment  would  expect  either  system  to  develop 
the  political  and  general  social  efficiency  that  American  democratic  ideals 
demand?  Even  if  there  is  no  immediate  danger  of  either  of  these  systems 
becoming  established  in  America,  we  still  desire  that  our  farmers  as  a  class 
shall  secure  for  themselves  the  highest  possible  position  not  only  in  industry 
but  in  the  political  and  social  organization  of  American  society.  Indeed  this 
is  the  ultimate  American  rural  problem,  to  maintain  the  best  possible  status 
of  the  farming  class.  No  other  statement  of  the  problem  is  satisfactory  in 
theory.  No  other  is  explanatory  of  the  struggles  and  ambitions  of  farmers 
themselves.  The  American  farmer  will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less  than 
securing  for  his  class  the  highest  possible  class  efficiency  and  largest  class 
influence,  industrially,  politically,  socially.  It  is  true  that  industrial  success 
is  necessary  to  political  and  social  power,  but  it  is  also  true  that  social 
agencies  are  needed  in  order  to  develop  in  our  American  farmers  the  requisite 
technical  skill,  business  method,  and  industrial  efficiency.  The  influence  of 
such  social  forces  as  education,  developed  means  of  communication,  the  organi- 


58 

zation  of  farmers,  and  oven  the  church,  must  be  invoked  before  we  can  export 
the  best  agricultural  advancement     And  the  end  is  after  all  a  social  one.     The 

maintenance  of  class  status  is  that  end. 

Tins  analysis  of  the  rural  problem  is  necessarily  brief,  almost  crude,  but  I 
hope  that  it  reveals  in  some  degree  the  scope  and  nature  of  the  problem:  that 
it  indicates  that  the  farm  question  is-  not  one  merely  of  technique,  fundamental 
as  technical  skill  must  be:  that  it  demonstrates  that  the  problem  is  also  one  of 
profound  economic,  political,  and  social  significance.  If  tins  be  su.  do  we  need 
i"  argue  the  proposition  that  the  function  of  the  agricultural  college  is  to  help 
solve  all  phases  of  the  problem'.'  We  all  recognize  the  place  of  the  college  in 
assisting  our  farmers  to  greater  technical  skill.  By  what  pleas  shall  we  gain- 
say the  mission  of  the  college  in  ministering  to  rural  betterment  at  all  points. 
whether  the  conditions  demand  technical  skill,  business  acumen,  industrial 
prosperity,  political  power,  or  general  social  elevation-:  Why  shall  not  the 
agricultural  college  be  all  things  to  all  farmers? 

Assuming  that  this  statement  of  the  permanent  mission  of  the  agricultural 
college  is  an  acceptable  one.  the  practical  inquiry  arises.  Does  the  college,  as 
now  organized,  adequately  fulfill  its  function,  and.  if  not.  by  what  means  can 
the  defect  be  remedied?  The  colleges  are  doubtless  serving  the  industrial 
and  social  need  to  some  degree.  But  I  believe  that  it  is  not  unjust  to  assert 
that  the  existing  courses  of  study  in  agriculture,  the  organization  of  the  college, 
and  the  methods  of  work  arc  not  adequate  if  the  college  is  to  secure  and  main- 
tain this  supreme  leadership  all  along  the  line  of  rural  endeavor.  This  is  not 
criticism  of  existing  methods.  The  colleges  are  doing  good  work.  But  the 
present  effort  is  partial,  because  the  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  technical,  and 
especially  upon  the  individual,  phases  of  the  problem.  The  industrial,  the  poli- 
tical, and  the  social  factors  are  not  given  due  consideration.  Our  present-day 
agricultural  course,  on  the  vocational  side,  is  chiefly  concerned  with  teaching 
the  future  individual  farmer  haw  to  apply  the  principles  of  science  to  the  art 
of  farming,  and  in  training  specialists  who  shall  make  further  discoveries  either 
in  the  realm  of  science  or  in  the  application  of  the  scientific  principle  to  the 
art.  The  technical  element  absolutely  dominates  the  vocational  portion  of  the 
agricultural  course.  Very  slight  attention  is  given  to  the  discussion  of  other 
phases  of  the  farm  problem.  To  meet  the  needs  of  the  future  the  whole  spirit 
and  method  of  the  agricultural  college  must  be  "socialized" — to  use  an  over- 
worked phrase  for  want  of  a  better  one.  We  must  get  away  from  the  idea  that 
the  individual  and  the  technical  aspects  of  agricultural  research  and  teaching 
are  the  stilhcienr  solution  of  the  farm  problem. 

When  we  ask.  What  are  the  means  for  "  socializing  *'  the  agricultural  college? 
the  expected  answer  may  be.  The  study  of  rural  social  science,  or  "  rural  econ- 
omy." But  I  am  pleading  not  merely  for  the  addition  of  a  few  subjects  to  the 
course  of  study,  but  for  an  educational  policy.  The  answer,  therefore,  will  not 
be  quite  so  simple.  What,  then,  are  the  methods  by  which  the  college  may  more 
fully  assume  its  function  of  helping  to  solve  all  phases  of  the  farm  problem? 

(1)  The  indispensable  requirement  is  that  the  college  shall  consciously 
purpose  to  stand  as  sponsor  for  the  whole  rural  problem.  It  is  to  assume  a 
place  of  leadership  in  the  campaign  for  rural  betterment.  Whether  or  not  it 
is  to  be  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  armies  of  rural  progress,  it  should  be  the 
inspiration,  the  guide,  the  stimulator  of  all  possible  endeavors  to  improve  farm 
and  farmer.  This  attitude  of  mind  is  purely  a  matter  of  ideals,  deliberately 
formed  in  the  light  of  the  abiding  needs  of  the  farming  class.  It  is  the  intan- 
gible but  pervasive  influence  of  an  object  which  is  perfectly  definite  even  if 
avowedly  spiritual.  It  is  a  question  of  atmosphere.  It  is  a  matter  of  insight. 
The  college  must  have  a  vision  of  the  rural  problem  in  its  entirety  and  in  its 
relations.  At  the  college  we  should  find,  if  anywhere,  the  capacity  to  under- 
stand the  ultimate  question  in  agriculture  We  know  that  this  ultimate  ques 
tion  in  agriculture  can  not  be  expressed  alone  by  the  terms  nitrogen,  or  balanced 
ration,  or  cost  per  bushel,  but  must  be  written  also  in  terms  of  the  human 
problem,  the  problem  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  farm.  So  we  shall  see  the 
college  consciously  endeavoring  to  make  of  itself  a  center  where  these  men  and 
women  of  the  farm  shall  find  light  and  inspiration  and  guidance  in  all  the 
aspects  of  their  struggle  for  a  better  livelihood  and  a  broader  life.  The  college 
must  avow  its  intention  of  becoming  all  things  to  all  farmers.  Whether  this 
means  the  study  of  fertility,  of  animal  nutrition,  of  soil  bacteriology,  or 
whether  it  means  the  consideration  of  markets,  of  land  laws,  of  transportation, 
of  the  country  church,  of  pure  government,  the  college  will  lead  the  way  to  the 
tiuth. 


59 

(2)  As  the  Brat  requisite  is  that  of  the  conscious  ideal  or  purpose,  the  second 
is  one  of  organization,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  socialization  of  the  college  can 
not  proceed  very  far  until  the  principle  of  university  extension  is  pretty  fully 
recognized.  The  college  must  be  in  constant  and  vital  touch  with  the  farmers 
and  their  associations.  Therefore  each  agricultural  college  should  as  rapidly 
as  possible  develop  a  definite  tripartite  organization  which  reveals  the  college 
in  its  threefold  function  as  an  organ  of  research,  as  an  educator  of  students, 
and  as  a  distributor  of  information  to  those  who  can  not  come  to  the  <■  >H<  -<". 
These  are  really  coordinate  functions  and  should  he  so  recognized.  The  college 
should  unify  them  into  one  comprehensive  scheme.  The  principle  of  sucll  unity 
is  perfectly  clear:  for  we  have  in  research  the  quest  for  truth,  in  the  education 
of  students  the  incarnation  of  truth,  and  in  extension  work  the  democratization 
of  truth.  Until  these  throe  lines  of  effort  are  somewhat  definitely  recognized 
and  organized  the  college  can  not  work  as  leader  in  solving  the  rural  problem. 

(,'i)  The  social  sciences,  in  their  relation  to  the  rural  problem  particularly, 
must  receive  a  consideration  commensurate  with  the  Importance  of  the  indus- 
trial, the  political,  and  the  social  phases  of  the  farm  question.  In  research,  for 
instance,  the  colleges  should  make  a  study  of  the  history  and  status  of  these 
aspects  of  agriculture.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  know  very  little  of  these  things. 
There  have  been  hut  few  scientific  investigations  of  the  economic  features  of 
the  industry,  and  practically  nothing  has  been  done  in  the  more  purely  social 
questions.  Here  is  a  great  untilled  field.  How  the  various  farm  industries  have 
developed,  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  agricultural  market,  the  relation  of 
transportation  to  the  industry,  the  tendencies  as  to  centralization  of  farms  and 
tenant  farming;  the  sociological  questions  of  rural  illiteracy,  pauperism, 
insanity,  health,  education,  the  effects  of  rural  life  upon  character,  religious 
life  in  the  country — a  hundred  subjects  of  importance  in  the  solution  of  the 
farm  problem  are  almost  virgin  soil  for  the  scientific  investigator.  It  is  the 
business  of  the  agricultural  colleges  to  assist,  if  not  to  lead,  in  such  work  of 
research.  It  is  work  that  must  be  done  before  the  social  phases  of  agricultural 
education  can  be  fully  developed. 

When  we  come  to  the  course  of  study  we  face  a  question  difficult  for  some 
•colleges,  because  the  agricultural  curriculum  is  already  overcrowded.  I  have 
not  time  to  discuss  this  practical  administrative  question.  I  believe,  however, 
that  it  can  be  worked  out.  What  I  wish  to  emphasize  is  the  idea  that  in  every 
agricultural  course  the  social  problems  of  the  farmers  shall  have  due  attention. 
AVe  should  not  permit  a  person  to  graduate  in  such  a  course  unless  he  has  made 
a  fairly  adequate  study  cf  the  history  and  status  of  agriculture;  of  the  govern- 
mental problems  that  have  special  bearing  upon  agricultural  progress ;  of  such 
questions  in  agricultural  economics  as  markets,  transportation,  business  coop- 
eration, and  of  such  phases  of  rural  sociology  as  farmers'  organizations,  the 
country  church,  rural  and  agricultural  education,  and  the  conditions  and  move- 
ments of  the  rural  population.  For  the  college  can  not  carry  out  the  purpose 
we  have  ascribed  to  it,  unless  these  subjects  are  given  an  important  place  in  the 
course  of  study.  We  talk  about  the  work  of  the  college  in  training  leaders, 
usually  meaning  by  leaders  men  who  are  expert  specialists  or  possibly  farmers 
of  extraordinary  skill.  Do  we  realize  that  the  greatest  need  of  American  agri- 
culture to-day  is  its  need  of  social  leadership'.'  Nothing  can  be  more  imperative 
than  that  the  agricultural  college  shall  send  out  to  the  farms  both  men  and 
Avomen  who  have  not  only  the  capacity  to  win  business  success,  but  who  also 
Lave  the  social  vision,  who  are  moved  to  be  of  service  to  the  farm  community, 
and  who  have  the  training  which  will  enable  them  to  take  intelligent  leadership 
in  institute,  school,  church,  grange,  and  in  all  movements  for  rural  progress. 
Upon  the  college  is  thrust  the  responsibility  of  training  men  and  women  to 
understand  the  whole  niial  problem  and  from  the  vantage  ground  of  successful 
farming  to  be  able  to  lead  the  way  toward  a  higher  status  for  all  farmers. 

Possibly  the  argument  for  introducing  rural  social  science  into  the  agricultural 
course  is  chiefly  a  sociological  one.  Rut  there  is  also  involved  a  pedagogical 
question  of  most  profound  significance.  For  several  decades  the  educational 
camp  has  been  sharply  divided  over  the  ancient  but  recurring  controversy 
between  the  Greek  cultural  ideal  and  the  Roman  utilitarian  ideal.  I  venture 
the  opinion  that  these  two  forces  of  educational  idealism  will  soon  reach  a 
compromise  which  for  all  practical  purposes  will  take  this  question  out  of 
the  pale  of  serious  debate.  The  classicist  will  concede  that  the  scope  of  the 
term  culture  may  be  greatly  enlarged  and  he  may  even  allow  a  quite  new  defi- 
nition of  the  cultivated  man.     It  will  be  generally  admitted,  to  use  Professor 


60 

Bailey's  phrase,  that  'every  subject  in  which  men  are  interested  can  he  put 
into  pedagogic  form  and  be  a  means  of  training  the  mind."  On  the  other  hand 
the  technical  educator  will  concede  that  a  college  graduate  in  whatever  course 
should  he  a  cultivated  man  and  that  there  are  certain  studies  with  which  all 
cultivated  men  should  have  some  familiarity.  The  technical  college  will,  more- 
over, he  compelled  to  employ  instructors  who  can  so  teach  the  technical  subject 
that  it  shall  not  only  give  the  knowledge  and  training  desired,  hut  shall  also 
yield  sound  culture,  become  truly  liberalizing  and  vision  giving.  But  a  greater 
question  remains.  As  society  becomes  more  fully  self-directive  the  demand  for 
social  leadership  increases.  Almost  instinctively  we  look  to  the  college-trained 
man  for  such  leadership.  We  expect  him  to  understand  and  to  help  answer  the 
questions  that  society  has  to  meet.  It  is  not  enough  that  he  do  his  particular 
work  well ;  he  has  a  public  duty.  Only  thus  can  he  pay  all  his  deht  to  society 
for  the  training  he  has  had.  Yet  to-day  our  technical  courses  are  largely  engaged 
in  training  individuals  who.  barring  some  general  culture,  are  highly  specialized 
experts.  What  preparation,  for  instance,  does  the  future  engineer  get  in  college 
for  facing  such  a  matter  as  the  labor  question?  He  is  likely  to  he  hrought  into 
close  touch  with  this  question.  But  as  a  rule  he  is  not  especially  qualified  to 
handle  it.  The  point  of  view  of  the  course  he  has  pursued  is  technique,  ever 
technique.  He  secures  in  college  little  incentive  and  less  training  for  intelligent 
performance  of  his  duty  as  citizen  and  as  meinher  of  society.  The  problems  of 
mathematics  are  not  the  problems  of  industry,  and  profound  study  of  chem- 
istry gives  neither  the  premises  nor  the  data  for  sound  judgment  upon  social 
questions.  These  public  questions  can  not  be  left  to  social  experts.  A  demo- 
cratic society  must  insist  that  all  its  educated  men  shall  be  leaders  in  solving 
society's  problems.  But  even  the  educated  men  can  not  lead  unless  they  have 
first  been  taught.  I  believe  society  has  more  to  fear  from  technical  experts  who 
either  neglect  their  social  duty  or  are  ignorant  of  the  social  problem  than  it  has 
from  highly  trained  specialists  who  have  never  studied  Greek  nor  mastered 
Browning.  Moreover,  under  modern  conditions,  have  we  a  right  to  call  that 
man  cultivated  who  ignores  the  great  social  problems  of  the  age?  We  face  here 
one  of  the  coming  educational  questions.  How  can  the  industrial  course  be  made 
to  train  men  for  the  social  leadership  the  new  regime  demands?  I  see  no 
answer  except  that  the  course  must  be  made  truly  and  broadly  vocational,  and 
consequently  that  large  place  must  be  given  to  social  studies,  and  particularly 
to  the  concrete  problems  of  government,  industry,  and  social  life. 

If  we  examine  our  agricultural  course  from  this  standpoint,  we  shall  have  to 
admit  that  it  has  the  flaw  common  to  most  industrial  courses.  It  is  too  tech- 
nical. It  is  not  truly  vocational.  It  does  not  present  the  social  view  point.  It 
does  not  stimulate  the  student  to  social  activity.  It  does  not  give  him  a  founda- 
tion for  intelligent  social  service  when  he  shall  go  to  the  farm.  He  should  study 
agricultural  economics  and  rural  sociology,  both  because  rural  society  needs 
leaders  and  because,  in  the  arming  of  the  man.  the  knowledge  of  society's  prob- 
lems is  just  as  vital  as  either  expert  information  or  personal  culture. 

(4)  To  carry  out  the  function  of  the  agricultural  college  we  need,  finally,  a 
vast  enlargement  of  extension  work  among  farmers.  This  work  will  not  only 
be  dignified  by  a  standing  in  the  college  coordinate  with  research  and  the  teach- 
ing of  students,  but  it  will  rank  as  a  distinct  department,  with  a  faculty  of  men 
whose  chief  business  is  to  teach  the  people  who  can  not  come  to  the  college. 
This  department  should  manage  farmers'  institutes,  carry  on  cooperative  experi- 
ments, give  demonstrations  in  new  methods,  conduct  courses  of  reading,  offer 
series  of  extension  lectures,  assist  the  schools  in  developing  agricultural 
instruction,  direct  the  work  of  rural  young  people's  clubs,  edit  and  distribute 
such  compilations  of  practical  information  as  now  appear  under  the  guise 
of  experiment-station  bulletins,  and  eventually  relieve  the  station  of  the 
bulk  of  its  correspondence.  Such  a  department  will  be  prepared  to  incorporate 
into  its  work  the  economic,  governmental,  and  social  problems  of  agriculture. 
It  will  give  the  farmers  light  upon  taxation  as  well  as  upon  tree  pruning.  The 
rural  school  will  have  as  much  attention  as  corn  breeding.  The  subject  of  the 
market— the  "distributive  half  of  farming."  as  John  M.  Stahl  calls  it— will  be 
given  as  much  discussion  as  the  subjects  bearing  upon  production.  We  shall 
find  here  a  most  fertile  field  for  work.  The  farmers  are  ready  for  this  step. 
They  have,  as  a  rule,  appreciated  the  real  nature  of  the  farm  problem  more 
fully  than  have  our  agricultural  educators.  Perhaps  at  times  they  have  placed 
undue  reliance  upon  legislation.  Perhaps  in  periods  of  depression  they  have 
overweighed  the  economic  pressure  as  against  the  lack  of  skilled  farming.    But 


61 

iii»'  great  body  of  fanners  bas  rightly  estimated  the  Importance  of  the  eco- 
Domic,  political,  and  social  questions  as  related  to  their  ultimate  prosperity,  in 
grange  meetings,  for  example,  the  subjects  which  arouse  greatest   interest  are 

sueh  themes  as  taxation,   the  rural   telephone,   the  country   School,   and   hnsiness 

cooperation.  The  explanation  of  all  the  farmers'  movements  Is  that  the  farmers 
believe  the  farm  problem  to  be  much  more  than  a  question  of  technique.  They 
want   light  <>n  the  whole  problem 

'The  college,  chiefly  through  its  socialized  extension  department,  has  a  mission 
also  to  those  professional  people  whose  sphere  of  work  is  in  the  rural  com- 
munity. The  rural  educator,  the  country  clergyman,  the  editor  of  the  country 
paper,  and  even  the  lawyer  and  physician  who  deal  with  country  people  should 
have  a  large  share  in  helping  to  solve  the  farm  problem.  They,  too,  need  to 
know  what  the  rural  problem  is.  They.  too.  need  the  eye  that  sees  the  neces- 
sary conditions  of  rural  betterment  and  the  heart  that  desires  to  help  in  rural 
progress.  By  some  of  the  same  methods  that  reach  the  farmers  themselves  can 
the  college  instruct  and  inspire  these  others. 

And.  finally,  the  college  will  take  its  place  as  the  "social  organ  or  agency  of 
first  importance  in  helping  to  solve  the  farm  prohlem  in  all  its  phases."  The 
church,  the  school,  the  farmers'  organization — all  these  social  organs  have  their 
work  to  do.  None  can  do  the  work  of  the  others.  Rut  they  should  work 
together.  Each  should  appreciate  its  own  mission  and  its  own  limitations; 
each  should  recognize  the  function  of  the  others,  and  all  should  intelligently 
unite  their  forces  in  a  grand  campaign  for  rural  betterment  More  properly 
than  perhaps  any  other  agency  the  socialized  extension  department  of  the 
agricultural  college  can  act  as  mediator  and  unifier,  serve  as  the  clearing  house 
and  directing  spirit  in  a  genuine  federation  of  rural  social  forces.  Inspired 
by  the  conscious  purpose  of  the  college  to  help  at  all  points  in  the  solution  of 
the  farm  question,  informed  by  the  knowledge  acquired  through  research  into 
the  economic  and  social  prohlems  of  agriculture,  aided  by  a  multitude  of  edu- 
cated farmers  trained  in  the  colleges  to  know  the  rural  problem  and  to  lend  a 
hand  in  its  settlement,  dignified  by  its  status  as  a  coordinate  branch  of  the 
college  activities,  the  extension  department  may  well  act  as  the  chief  agency 
of  stimulation  and  unification  in  the  social  movements  for  rural  advancement. 

In  this  discussion  the  practical  details  of  carrying  out  the  programme  advo- 
cated have  not  been  touched  upon.  When  once  it  becomes  a  distinct  policy 
of  the  college  to  assume  leadership  in  the  movement  for  rural  betterment,  such 
questions  as  subject-matter  for  study,  text-books,  qualified  instructors,  and  time 
in  the  curriculum  will  settle  themselves.  Neither  has  any  attempt  been  made 
to  give  illustrations;  and  therefore  this  paper  may  seem  dogmatic  if  not  aca- 
demic, a  prophecy  rather  than  an  outline  of  progress,  the  statement  of  an  ideal 
rather  than  a  practicable  programme.  But  I  think  there  is  abundant  evidence 
that  a  current  is  setting  in  toward  the  enlargement  of  the  work  of  the  agri- 
cultural college  along  the  social  lines  indicated.  The  rapid  development  of 
farmers'  institutes,  the  growth  of  other  phases  of  extension  teaching,  the  senti- 
ment of  those  in  authority  that  the  experiment  station  must  soon  slough  off  its 
work  of  education  and  confine  itself  to  research,  the  holding  of  occasional  con- 
ferences for  rural  progress,  in  which  country  teachers  and  pastors  join  with 
the  farmers,  the  initiative  of  the  college  in  federating  various  State  farmers' 
organizations  into  one  grand  committee,  the  inauguration  of  several  brief 
courses  in  agricultural  economics  and  rural  sociology,  the  cooperation  of  some 
of  the  colleges  with  the  Carnegie  Institution  in  an  investigation  into  the  his- 
tory and  conditions  of  agriculture  in  its  economic  and  social  phases,  the  pride 
with  which  a  few  of  our  colleges  point  to  the  increasing  number  of  young  men 
they  are  sending  to  the  farms — all  these  facts  seem  clearly  to  indicate  that  the 
agricultural  college  will  soon  assert  its  function  of  leader  in  the  endeavor  to 
solve  all  phases  of  the  rural  problem. 

If  the  analysis  thus  far  offered  is  a  correct  one,  the  question  of  "  rural  eco- 
nomics "  is  far  from  being  merely  a  matter  of  adding  three  or  four  subjects 
of  study  to  the  agricultural  course.  It  involves  the  very  function  and  policy 
of  the  college  itself.  It  alone  gives  proportion  to  the  problem  of  agricultural 
education,  because,  while  distinctly  admitting  the  need  of  better  farming  and 
the  consequently  fundamental  necessity  of  the  technical  training  of  farmers, 
it  emphasizes  the  importance  of  the  economic  and  political  and  social  aspects 
of  rural  development.  And  it  thereby  indicates  that  only  by  a  due  recognition 
of  these  factors,  in  purpose,  in  organization,  and  in  course  of  study,  can  the 
American  agricultural  college  fulfill  its  mission  to  the  American  farmer. 


62 

I  BATIOH  Between  the  Stations  and  THE  T\  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

This  being  the  special  order  for  the  hour.  E.  a.  Bryan,  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  the  association  od  cooperation,  submitted  the  following  report: 

Your  committee  on  cooperation  between  the  stations  and  the  D.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  would  respectfully  report  that  satisfactory  progress  has 
been  made  so  far  as  the  details  of  the  arrangement  of  any  cooperative  work 
undertaken  l>y  the  stations  with  the  Department  of  Agriculture  are  concerned. 

Questions,  however,  of  the  most  fundamental  importance,  involving  the  relations 
of  the  two  institutions,  having  arisen,  the  executive  committee  of  this 
elation,  on  the  invitation  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  held  certain  con- 
ferences with  the  Secretary,  a  report  of  which  has  already  been  made  to  you. 
It  therefore  seemed  expedient  to  your  committee,  pending  the  period  during 
which  the  executive  committee  was  dealing  directly  with  the  problem,  to 
submit  no  further  recommendations  in  the  premises.  There  will  doubtless 
continue  many  questions  for  adjustment  which  will  require  the  services  of  a 
standing  committee,  there  being  a  similar  committee  appointed  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture  for  that  purpose. 

E.  A.   Bryan.  Chairman. 

E.  A.  Bryan.  It  has  been  evident.  I  think,  to  all  members  of  this  association 
that  for  some  years  a  number  of  questions  have  arisen  between  the  experiment 
stations  and  the  Department  of  Agriculture  which  would  require  adjustment. 
It  was  perhaps  with  a  view  to  these  questions  that  a  few  years  ago  a  committee 
on  cooperative  work  was  appointed  by  this  association,  which  from  year  to 
year  has  made  reports.  These  reports  were  usually  brief  and  related  mainly 
to  certain  details  of  the  contracts  which  might  be  made  between  the  experiment 
stations  and  the  Department  of  Agriculture  relative  to  any  given  piece  of 
cooperative  work  which  might  be  undertaken  by  them.  As  this  report  indicates, 
very  satisfactory  progress  has  been  made  in  that  direction,  but  it  has  not  been 
so  apparent  that  the  wlwle  matter  is  settled  by  the  arrangement  of  these  small 
details.  In  fact,  it  has  become  more  and  more  apparent  that  there  are  still 
more  fundamental  questions  that  remain  unsettled,  and  while  the  policy  of 
the  committee  thus  far  has  been  rather  to  avoid  than  to  court  much  discussion 
in  this  body,  yet  the  time  seems  to  be  ripe  for  a  full  and  free  discussion  of  the 
Avhole  question  involved. 

The  report  was  accepted. 

A  lively  discussion,  conducted  with  frankness  but  good  feeling,  followed,  in 
which  it  was  maintained  that  a  clearer  definition  of  the  respective  functions 
and  limitations  of  the  Department  and  the  experiment  stations  was  essential 
to  more  effective  cooperation,  and  that  the  complete  autonomy  and  independence 
of  the  stations  in  administrative  and  in  scientific  work,  but  with  increased 
funds,  would  tend  to  make  them  more  effective  cooperating  agents.  Full  con- 
fidence was  expressed  that  a  way  would  be  found  to  prevent  any  apparent  an- 
tagonism or  duplication. 

The  following  resolution,  introduced  by  W.  H.  Jordan  on  behalf  of  the  execu- 
tive committee,  was  adopted  after  debate: 

Resolved,  That  this  association  emphatically  recognizes  the  great  services 
which  the  National  Department  of  Agriculture  is  new  rendering  to  the  science 
and  practice  of  agriculture,  and  to  the  institutions  here  represented,  by  its  help- 
ful cooperation  with  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  and  by  its  able  coor- 
dination and  wide  dissemination  of  the  information  secured  within  itself  and 
by  the  experiment  stations:  and  this  association  views  with  disfavor  any  move- 
ments which,  either  by  legislation  or  otherwise,  shall  tend  to  disturb  or  lessen 
the  mutually  advantageous  relations  which  now  exist  between  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  and  the  experiment  stations  of  the  several  States. 

Resolved,  That  this  association  is  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  the  continuation 
and  development  of  these  mutually  helpful  relations  between  the  Department 
and  the  stations  and  the  maintenance  and  progress  of  efficient  research  in 
agricultural  science  demand  that  the  autonomy  and  paramount  position  of  the 


63 

stations  as  Institutions  of  research  and  experimentation  be  Inviolably  main- 
tained within  their  respective  states,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  and  spirit  of 
the  Hatch  Act 

Resolved,  That  In  order  that  Congress  may  be  properly  Informed  as  to  the 
work  of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  and  Its  great  value  to  agricultural 
practice,  and  t<>  promote  satisfactory  relations  between  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture and  the  experiment  stations,  the  executive  committee  of  this  association 
is  hereby  Instructed  to  request  a  hearing  before  the  proper  committees  of  Con- 
gress for  the  purpose  of  presenting  the  wort  and  claims  of  the  agricultural 
experiment  stations,  and  to  continue  conferences  with  the  honorable  Secretary 
oi  Agriculture  relative  to  cooperation  between  his  Department  and  the  stations. 

Graduate  Study. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  reported  for  the  committee  on  this  subject,  as 
follows  : 

The  committee  on  graduate  work  has  had  two  meetings  here  to  discuss  the 
question  of  the  graduate  school  of  agriculture,  such  a  school  as  was  held  two 
or  three  years  ago  at  the  Ohio  State  University.  The  whole  question  has  been 
discussed  as  to  whether  it  was  good  policy  to  continue  such  a  school  ;  and  if  so, 
under  what  conditions.  It  has  seemed  to  the  committee  that  it  is  desirable 
to  continue  the  school  under  the  auspices  of  this  association.  It  has  seemed 
also  that  those  who  conduct  these  schools  should  uot  hear  the  whole  expense. 
It  is  suggested,  therefore,  that  some  means  be  provided  whereby  the  different 
colleges  in  the  country  should  be  requested  to  contribute  a  small  sum  each 
year  to  aid  in  the  maintenance  of  these  graduate  schools  of  agriculture.  This 
can  be  justified  from  the  point  of  view  that  this  graduate  school  of  agricul- 
ture, held  every  two  or  three  years,  as  the  case  may  be.  affords  an  opportunity 
for  each  contributing  college  to  give  its  men  opportunity  for  advanced  work 
which  they  do  not  have  in  any  other  way.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  it 
would  be  a  good  policy  for  the  institutions  to  help  to  maintain  a  graduate 
school,  in  order  that  their  men  may  have  an  opportunity  to  come  in  contaei 
with  other  men.  The  second  part  of  the  attitude  of  the  committee  is,  I  think, 
equally  important — that  is,  that  there  should  be  some  place  in  the  country 
where  our  workers  meet  other  workers.  This  association  has  come  more  and 
more  to  be  a  delegate  association.  Every  one  of  us  would  like  to  have  our 
chemists  meet  other  chemists,  and  so  with  the  botanists,  horticulturists,  and 
other  scientists.     The  committee  therefore  recommends  the  following : 

(1)  That  this  association  reaffirm  its  conviction  that  a  graduate  school  of 
agriculture  is  a  desirable  enterprise  to  be  conducted. in  the  summer  at  different 
colleges  of  agriculture  in  rotation. 

(2)  That  this  school  be  held  every  two  years,  beginning,  if  possible,  with  this 
coming  summer. 

(3)  That  each  agricultural  college  be  requested  to  contribute  a  small  sum 
annually — say  $25 — to  aid  in  the  maintenance  of  such  school. 

(4)  That  the  committee  on  graduate  study  be  empowered  to  determine  where 
such  schools  shall  be  held. 

(5)  That  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  association,  while  not  desiring  to  limit 
the  expenditures  to  any  specified  sum,  that  such  schools  of  agriculture  be  con- 
ducted with  the  least  possible  expense  consistent  with  the  character  of  the  work. 

The  rei>ort  was  adopted. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  committee  prepare  a  circular  of  information  regard- 
ing the  school,  to  he  sent  to  the  different  institutions  interested. 

Military  Instruction. 

C.  R.  Van  Ilise,  of  Wisconsin,  offered  the  following: 

The  chief  purposes  of  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  are  indicated 
by  their  name.  It  is  the  clear  intent  of  the  Morrill  Act  that  military  work  be 
subordinate  to  these  purposes:  Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved  by  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations,  that  it  is  unwise  to  require  military  drill  from  each  student  more 
than  two  times  per  week  during  two  years  ;    and 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  be  instructed  to  present  the  views  of 

23SS0— No.  153—03  u 5 


64 

the  association  in  reference  to  Order  »'>."  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  or  if  it  seems 
preferable  to  the  executive  committee,  that  they  be  authorized  to  appoint  a 
special  committee  for  this  purpose. 

The  resolution  was  referred  to  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration 
.  Bee  p.  91). 

Resolution  Regarding  IIox.  H.  C.  Adams. 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  introduced  the  following  resolution: 

Resolved,  That  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations,  in  convention  assembled,  tender  to  the  Hon.  H.  C.  Adams,  of 
Madison.  Wis.,  its  hearty  thanks  for  his  earnest,  intelligent,  and  well-directed 
efforts  in  the  last  session  of  Congress  to  secure  increased  support  for  and  to 
strengthen  agricultural  research  in  the  various  experiment  stations  of  this 
country. 

Resolved,  That  we  herehy  pledge  him  our  hearty  cooperation  and  assistance  in 
his  continued  efforts  to  this  end. 

Resolved,  That  the  secretary  he  instructed  to  send  a  copy  of  these  resolutions 
by  telegraph  and  this  he  followed  by  a  copy  transmitted  by  mail,  and  that  a  copy 
of  these  resolutions  be  entered  in  the  records  of  this  association. 

Referred  to  the  executive  committee,  reported  favorably,  and  adopted. 
Extension  of  Franking  Privilege. 

E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois,  offered  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved.  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  engineering  experiment 
stations  established  in  connection  with  land-grant  colleges  should  enjoy  the 
franking  privilege  for  their  publications  as  well  as  do  the  agricultural  experi- 
ment stations  for  theirs. 

Resolved  further.  That  the  executive  committee  be  instructed  to  institute 
measures  calculated  to  secure  this  privilege. 

A  similar  resolution  regarding  publications  of  extension  work  departments  of 
land-grant  colleges  was  introduced  by  K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Rhode  Island.  Both 
resolutions  were  referred  to  the  executive  committee,  reported  without  recom- 
mendation, and  after  debate  withdrawn  by  the  movers. 

On  motion,  the  association  adjourned  to  meet  at  8  o'clock  p.  m. 

Evening  Session.  Wednesday.  November  *2,  1904. 

The  convention  was  called  to  order  by  the  president.  W.  O.  Thompson. 

H.  C.  White.  The  executive  committee  is  informed  and  hereby  announces  that 
the  section  on  college  work  and  administration  has  given  its  assent  to  the  reso- 
lutions passed  this  morning  concerning  the  relations  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  to  the  experiment  stations  (see  p.  62),  and  also  to  the  resolution 
offered  by  Director  Armsby  directiug  the  executive  committee  to  continue  its 
efforts  in  relation  to  the  experiment  station  bill  and  the  mining  school  bill 
(see  p.  43). 

Resolution  Regarding  Hon.  F.  W.  Mondell. 

J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky,  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
reported  favorably  by  the  executive  committee  and  adopted  : 

Resolved.  That  the  Association  of  American  Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experi- 
ment Stations,  in  convention  assembled,  extends  to  Hon.  Frank  W.  Mondell.  of 
Wyoming,  its  hearty  thanks  for  his  able.  wise,  and  energetic  efforts  in  connec- 
tion with  his  bill  pending  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  schools  or 
departments  of  mines  and  mining  in  connection  with  the  land-grant  colleges  and 
other  institutions,  introduced  by  him  and  now  pending  in  the  Fifty-eighth  Con- 
gress. This  association  is  sincerely  appreciative  of  the  great  service  in  the 
cause  of  industrial  education  thus  rendered  by  Mr.  Mondell.  and  pledges  him  its 
cordial  support  and  assistance  in  his  continued  efforts  in  this  direction. 


65 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  on  the  records  of  tliis  meeting  and 
a  copy  be  transmitted  Immediately  i»>  Mr.  Mondell. 

RESOLUTION    ReGABDING    Ma. I.    IIknuy    B.    ALVOBD, 

For  the  committee  on  resolutions  concerning  the  late  Henry  EL  AJvord,  J.  K. 
Patterson,  the  chairman,  presented  the  following: 

This  association  has  heard  with  profound  regrel  of  the  death  of  Maj.  Henry 

B.  AJvord.  He  had  not  reached  the  average  Hunt  of  huinan  life,  and  many 
years  Of  usefulness  seemed  yet  to  lie  before  him  when  the  end  suddenly  eame. 
Hut  within  the  limits  of  the  life  allotted  to  him  lie  had  accomplished  more  than 
many  of  his  contemporaries. 

Sprung  from  a  hardy  New  England  stock,  endowed  with  a  vigorous  physical 
constitution  and  an  active  mind,  his  education  was  liberal  as  well  as  practical, 
and  his  opportunities  were  well  improved.  Leaving  the  employment  of  a  civil 
engineer,  in  which  he  doubtless  would  have  earned  distinction,  he  offered  his 
services  ere  he  had  attained  his  majority  to  the  Government  at  the  beginning  of 
the  civil  war,  entering  as  a  private  at  its  commencement,  and  advancing  to  the 
rank  of  major  before  its  close.  Promoted  into  the  Regular  Army  because  of  the 
effective  service  which  he  had  rendered  as  an  officer  of  volunteers,  he  served  in 
that  branch  of  the  service  until  1872,  resigning  with  the  rank  of  captain. 

As  special  Indian  commissioner,  as  manager  of  the  Houghton  farm,  as  secre- 
tary of  the  American  Jersey  Cattle  Club,  as  professor  of  agriculture  in  the 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  and  in  New  Hampshire  College  of  Agricul- 
ture and  Mechanic  Arts,  as  president  of  the  Agricultural  College  of  Maryland, 
as  president  of  the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  as  president 
of  this  association,  and  as  chief  of  the  Dairy  Division  in  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  he  identified  himself  with  the  progress  of  scientific  agriculture  in 
America  to  a  degree  above  and  beyond  most  men  of  his  time. 

But  it  is  as  one  of  the  founders  and  one  of  the  members  of  this  association 
that  we  knew  him  so  intimately  and  so  long.  To  his  remarkable  power  of  ini- 
tiative, his  happy  appreciation  of  opportunities,  and  his  singular  forecast  of  the 
possibilities  of  an  organization  such  as  this,  its  origin  and  success  are  largely 
due.  His  intimate  relations  with  members  of  Congress  and  his  acquaintance 
with  legislative  procedure  in  committee  and  on  the  floors  of  the  Senate  and 
House  were  of  incalculable  value  in  its  inception  and  in  its  growth.  The 
impress  of  his  masterly  hand  remains  upon  this  association  to  this  day.  Dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Hatch  Act  through  Congress  in  1887  and  of  the  Morrill 
bill  in  1890,  his  activity  was  indefatigable. 

This  association  therefore  desires  to  place  on  record  its  high  estimate  of  his 
ability,  his  integrity,  his  knowledge  of  men.  his  great  powers  of  organization, 
his  singular  fidelity  to  his  cherished  ideals,  his  intelligent  directive  powers,  his 
great  common  sense,  and  his  uniform  courage  and  courtesy  in  maintaining  his 
views  of  public  policy. 

A  sincere  friend,  a  patriot,  a  soldier  without  sectional  bitterness  or  prejudice, 
an  efficient  administrative,  and  a  wise  counselor,  with  a  lofty  ideal  of  duty  and 
of  honor,  this  association  discharges  a  duty  to  itself  by  bearing  hearty  testi- 
mony to  his  conspicuous  worth  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  paper  be  incorporated  in  the  record  of  this  asso- 
ciation, and  a  copy  be  sent  by  the  secretary  with  assurance  of  sympathy  and 
condolence  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

James  K.  Patterson, 
H.  P.  Abmsbt, 
W.  A.  Henry. 

Committee. 

On  motion  of  President  W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana,  seconded  by  President  J.  C. 
Hardy,  of  Mississippi,  the  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  by  rising  vote. 

Election  of  Officers. 

M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  reported  that  the  section  on  experiment  station 
work  nominated  to  the  convention  for  chairman  of  that  section  H.  J.  Patterson, 
of  Maryland,  and  for  secretary  M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky. 


66 

\v.  B.  stone  reported  for  tbe  section  <»n  college  work  and  administration  that 

that  section  nominated  as  chairman   R.   \V.  Stimson.  of  Connecticut,  and  as  sec- 
retary K.  L.  Butterfleld,  of  Rhode  island. 

On  motion,  these  reports  were  adopted. 

Mr.  Scovell  reported  as  members  of  the  executive  committee  named  by  the 
section  on  experiment  station  work  W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York,  and  ('.  F.  Cur- 
tiss.  of  Iowa,  and  as  members  of  the  programme  committee  M.  A.  Scovell.  .1.  1' 
1  higgar.  and  C.  I  >.  Woods. 

Mr.  Stone  reported  as  members  of  the  executive  committee  from  the  section 
on  college  work  and  administration  II.  C.  White,  of  Georgia,  J.  L.  Snyder,  of 
Michigan,  and  L.  II.  Bailey,  of  New  York. 

On  nomination  of  J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky,  seconded  by  W.  M.  Liggett,  of 
Minnesota,  E.  B.  Vborhees,  of  New  Jersey,  was  unanimously  elected  president 
of  the  association  for  the  ensuing  year. 

By  vote  of  the  association  the  secretary  was  instructed  to  cast  the  ballot  of 
the  convention  for  other  officers,  who  were  declared  elected,  as  follows  : 

First  vice-president,  J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi,  nominated  by  J.  L.  Snyder, 
of  Michigan;  second  vice-president.  K.  L.  Rutterfield.  of  Rhode  Island,  nomi- 
nated by  II.  C.  'White,  of  Georgia;  third  vice-president.  C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine, 
nominated  by  W.  M.  Liggett,  of  Minnesota ;  fourth  vice-president.  E.  It. 
Nichols,  of  Kansas,  nominated  by  J.  H.  Worst,  of  North  Dakota ;  fifth  vice- 
president,  E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois,  nominated  by  M.  A.  Scovell.  of  Kentucky: 
bibliographer,  A.  0.  True,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  nominated  by 
C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine;  secretary  and  treasurer,  J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont,  nomi- 
nated by  H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island. 

Meeting  Reace  of  Next  Convention. 

E.  A.  Rryan,  of  Washington,  at  the  request  of  President  Campbell,  of  the 
State  University  of  Oregon,  and  on  behalf  of  the  State  of  Oregon  and  the 
entire  Northwest,  presented  an  invitation  to  the  association  to  hold  its  next, 
convention  at  Portland  during  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition. 

J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan,  gave  notice  that  the  association  would  be  expected 
to  hold  its  convention  in  1907  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  to  celebrate 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  establishment  of  the  college. 

The  session  adjourned  until  9  o'clock  next  morning. 

Morning  Session,  Thursday,  Xovember  3.  1904. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  9  o'clock  a.  in.  by  the  president. 

Rural   Engineering. 

W.  E.  Stone,  for  the  committee  on  rural  engineering,  presented  the  following 
report : 

Since  the  last  meeting  of  the  Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges  and 
Experiment  Stations,  considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  the  agricultural 
colleges  in  developing  courses  under  the  various  names  of  agricultural  engineer- 
ing, rural  engineering,  and  farm  mechanics. 

The  agricultural  colleges  of  Minnesota,  Wisconsin.  Illinois,  North  Dakota, 
Indiana.  New  York,  Colorado,  California,  Kansas,  Wyoming,  and  Iowa  are  now 
offering  instruction  to  the  agricultural  students  in  the  subject  under  one  or 
the  other  of  the  above  names.  Minnesota  has  completed  an  inexpensive  build- 
ing which  is  devoted  to  the  teaching  of  farm  mechanics.  Wisconsin  has  a 
large  building  under  construction,  which  is  to  be  used  for  the  same  purpose. 
The  agricultural  college  at  Cornell.  X.  Y.,  is  planning  a  large  and  commodious 
structure  to  be  devoted  to  agricultural  engineering.  Illinois  has  made  con- 
siderable progress   in   its   farm   mechanics   course.     During  the   last  year   the 


67 

four-story  fireproof  farm  mechanics  building  ;it  the  [own  Agricultural  Col- 
lege has  been  completed,  which,  with  its  equipment,  cosl  over  $75,000,  and  a 
good  course  In  farm  mechanics  is  offered  in  the  college  curriculum,  in  this 
course  during  the  spring  term  il'."»  students  were  enrolled. 

in   the  Depart ni   of  Agriculture  progress   has  been   made  by   adding   the 

departmenl  of  drainage  to  the  work  of  the  departmenl  of  Irrigation  investiga- 
tion and  changing  the  title  to  irrigation  and  drainage  investigations. 

it  is  to  be  regretted  that  ;i  complete  bureau  of  "Irrigation  and  Agricultural 
Engineering"  lias  not  been  established,  which  was  last  year  suggested  by 
the  committee  and  recommended  by  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture.  The  agri- 
cultural colleges  thai  have  established  courses  in  farm  mechanics  have  found 
that  great  interest  is  manifested  in  the  work  of  studying  the  principles  of  con: 
Btruction  and  testing  of  farm  implements.  This  is  true  not  only  of  the  students 
and  the  fanners,  hut  also  of  the  manufacturers  of  these  farm  implements. 
who  realize  the  importance  of  this  work  and  are  offering  friendly  coopera- 
tion ami  assistance  to  the  work. 

An  example  of  what  may  be  accomplished  for  the  benefit  of  not  only  the 
farmers  hut  the  manufacturers  will  illustrate  the  value  of  studying  farm 
machinery  in  colleges.  The  farm  mechanics  department  of  the  Iowa  State 
College  undertook  last  year  to  test  various  makes  of  corn  planters  to  note  the 
nccuracy  of  dropping  the  corn.  It  was  found  that  there  was  considerable 
difference  between  the  different  makes  and  types  of  planters  as  to  their  accu- 
racy of  drop.  The  attention  of  the  manufacturers  was  called  to  ihis  fad.  and 
while  they  were  at  first  thoroughly  convinced  that  their  planters  were  accurate 
in  their  work  yet  they  found  there  was  room  for  improvement,  and  two  firms 
acknowledged  that  they  improved  the  accuracy  of  drop  of  their  planters  l'<> 
per  cent  after  their  attention  had  been  called  to  the  defects  of  the  planters  and 
a  remedy  suggested.  By  means  of  this  cooperation  with  the  manufacturers 
the  farmers  of  the  country  are  greatly  benefited. 

While  the  implement  manufacturers  of  the  country  are  no  doubt  seeking  to 
bring  out  the  best  possible  farm  implements,  yet  their  inte zests  are  from  a 
purely  business  motive.  The  department  of  farm  mechanics  at  the  various 
colleges  of  agriculture  and  the  Department  of  Agriculture  can  do  much  to  fur- 
ther the  improvement  of  farm  machinery  by  making  impartial  tests  and  report 
on  the  defects  to  manufacturers.  There  is  at  the  present  time  a  great  demand 
for  information  on  the  cost  and  efficiency  of  pumping  machinery  for  irrigation 
purposes.  The  large  projects  of  irrigation  now  under  way  in  the  Western 
States  require  the  pumping  of  large  quantities  of  water  to  be  lifted  from  10  to 
200  feet.  Thousands  of  acres  of  land  on  the  Missouri  slope  in  North  and  South 
Dakota  can  be  irrigated  if  the  water  can  be  pumped  from  the  Missouri  River 
cheap  enough.  Fuel  is  plenty  in  those  sections  of  the  country  in  the  shape  of 
lignite  coal.  The  Department  of  Agriculture  is  performing  a  service  of  great 
value  to  the  Western  States  by  making  experiments  and  collecting  facts  which 
will  give  information  to  settlers  upon  the  best  kind  of  pumping  stations  to 
install  to  supply  the  water  for  irrigation  purposes. 

During  the  last  couple  of  years  Germany,  the  Scandinavian  countries,  and 
Holland  have  issued  several  bulletins  which  give  very  interesting  data  upon 
tests  made  of  domestic  as  well  as  American  made  farm  implements.  These 
bulletins  are  of  great  value  to  those  countries,  giving  as  they  do  the  cost  of 
various  implements,  the  amount  of  work  that  can  be  accomplished,  and  effi- 
ciency with  which  the  different  makes  do  the  work.  Germany  has  long  recog- 
nized the  value  of  agricultural  and  mechanical  training  both  for  the  farm  and 
for  the  factory.  Our  own  manufacturers  are  anxious  to  obtain  graduates  from 
our  agricultural  colleges  who  have  a  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  agri- 
culture, together  with  a  mechanical  training  in  the  designing  of  farm  imple- 
ments. Several  positions  are  now  open  for  young  men  with  training  along 
these  lines. 

There  are  so  many  and  varied  subjects  embraced  in  agricultural  engineering 
that  the  subject  is  entitled  to  a  more  prominent  rank  than  it  now  holds  in  our 
agricultural  colleges.  It  ought  to  hold  equal  rank  with  the  departments  of 
dairying,  animal  husbandry,  agronomy,  and  horticulture. 

It  is  exceedingly  important  at  this  time  that  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
take  steps  to  organize  a  bureau  or  division  of  agricultural  engineering,  in  order 
to  aid  the  colleges  which  now  have  a  course  of  agricultural  engineering  estab- 
lished and  to  collect  the  data  which  such  colleges  are  obtaining  in  their  experi- 
mental tests  for  publication  and  distribution  among  the  farmers,  also  to  carry 


68 

<>n  original  research  and  to  establish  laboratories  for  practical  tests  of  Imple- 
ments, a  museum  for  farm  implements. 

The  committee  again  recommends  that  the  association  declare  itself  in  favor 
of  the  creation   of  separate  departments   of  agricultural   engineering   in   the 

colleges:  that  special  efforts  he  made  to  assist  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  in 
his  endeavor  to  extend  the  work  along  these  lines,  and  that  the  executive  com- 
mittee use  all  means  in  its  power  to  urge  upon  Congress  the  importance  of  this 
work  and  to  convince  them  of  the  necessity  of  giving  the  Department  liberal 
appropriations  for  these  purposes. 

W.  E.  Stone.  Chairman. 

XV.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin.  I  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  educators  along 
agricultural  lines  to  the  great  importance  and  possibility  of  agricultural  engi- 
neering. In  Wisconsin  we  have  begun  to  develop  these  lines  and  have  created  a 
department.  I  find  a  large  correspondence  from  the  farmer  turning  int<>  that 
department  already,  and  we  find  students  turning  into  the  department.  We  have 
two  students  who  have  elected  farm  engineering  as  their  major  study.  The  con- 
struction of  our  farm  buildings,  their  adaptation  to  the  purposes  required,  the 
proper  uses  of  machinery,  the  drainage  of  lands,  are  all  to  he  considered.  You 
will  find.  I  think,  that  a  department  of  rural  engineering  will  he  a  popular  one 
in  your  college.  Let  us  put  in  agricultural  engineering  and  be  in  touch  with  our 
farmers.  When  a  farmer  wants  to  make  improvements  on  his  farm  he  will  come 
to  the  college  to  get  plans,  and  it  should  he  prepared  to  furnish  them.  1  helieve 
this  to  he  a  very  practical  means  of  helping  our  farmers. 

F.  M.  Tisdel.  of  Wyoming.  I  want  to  state  that  last  year  we  established  at 
the  University  of  Wyoming  a  four  years'  course  in  irrigation  engineering,  and  it 
Is  going  to  he  one  of  the  most  important  and  useful  courses  in  the  college. 

The  report  was  accepted. 

Animal  and  Plant  Breeding — American  Breeders'  Association. 

W.  M.  Hays,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  this  suhject,  presented  the  follow- 
ing report : 

Your  committee  on  plant  and  animal  breeding  accepted  the  invitation  of  the 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  and  called  a  meeting 
during  convocation  week  in  St.  Louis.  December  29  and  30.  1903.  to  organize  an 
association.  At  a  meeting  of  this  committee  held  December  28  a  form  of  consti- 
tution and  by-laws  was  prepared  by  your  committee  suggesting  a  plan  of  organi- 
zation. Prof.  G.  F.  Curtiss  was  chosen  president  and  W.  M.  Hays  secretary  of 
the  preliminary  organization.  Over  fifty  were  in  active  attendance  ;it  the  meet- 
ing, and  after  full  consideration  and  amendment,  the  proposed  articles  were 
adopted  as  the  organic  law,  and  an  organization  was  effected  under  the  name  of 
the  American  Breeders'  Association.  A  printed  copy  of  the  minutes  is  submitted 
herewith. 

The  plan  of  organization,  like  that  of  the  parent  organization,  consists  of  a 
general  organization  and  two  subordinate  organizations,  the  one  devoted  to 
plants  and  the  other  to  animals. 

The  following  officers  were  chosen : 

President,  Hon.  James  Wilson.  Washington,  D.  C. ;  vice-president.  Hon.  L.  H. 
Kerrick,  Bloomington.  111.  :  secretary.  Prof.  W.  M.  Hays.  St.  Anthony  Park. 
M inn.  :  treasurer,  Prof.  Oscar  Erf.  Manhattan.  Kans. 

Animal  section  :  Chairman.  Hon.  John  Dryden,  Toronto,  Canada  :  secretary. 
Prof.  F.  B.  Mumford,  Columbia.  Mo. 

Plant  section  :  Chairman.  Dr.  H.  J.  Webber.  Washington.  D.  C.  ;  secretary. 
Prof.  X.  E.  Hansen.  Brookings.  S.  Dak 

This  new  organization,  not  having  had  a  meeting  since  its  organization,  has 
not  yet  had  the  opportunity  to  appropriately  recognize  its  obligations  to  the 
parent  organization  nor  its  future  relations  thereto. 

The  fees  for  annual  membership  are,  for  North  America,  $1 ;  outside  of  North 
America.  >S2  :  life  membership.  $20,  with  a  twenty-five  year  limit  on  the  mem- 
bership of  societies  and  libraries:  patronships,  $1,000.  Honorary  memberships 
are  provided  for,  and  Luther  Burbank  was  given  the  honor  of  being  the  only 
life  member  chosen  at  the  first  meeting. 


G9 

A  membership  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  a  general  chairman, 
Mr.  E.  I >.  Punk,  of  Bloom ington,  ill.,  nmi  a  chairman  and  subcommitteemen  for 
each  State  and  province  of  North   America. 

Thf  presenl  membership,  Including  a  number  of  European  and  Asiatic  per- 
sons and  organizations,  numbers  about  'J7."».  of  which  15  arc  life  members.  The 
expenses  incident  to  the  first  meeting  and  the  printing  and  postage  and  clerk 
hire  necessary  in  connection  with  securing  members  have  required  practically 
all  the  receipts  from  annual  memberships.  Since  only  the  proceeds  from  annual 
memberships  and  the  Interest  income  from  life  membership  Investments  are 
available  for  the  payment  of  current  expenses,  the  association  is  practically 
without  funds  with  which  to  publish  its  tirst  annual  report. 

The  plan  adopted  for  securing  memberships  has  aol  proven  either  convenient 
of  effective,  and  this  work  is  being  somewhat  more  closely  centered  in  the  sec- 
retary's office,  with  the  chairman  and  members  of  the  membership  committees 
and  others  who  volunteer  to  assist  in  securing  members  operating  through  that 
agency.  A  card  index  provides  a  way  of  keeping  account  with  each  person, 
society,  or  institution  to  whom  an  invitation  to  join  is  sent,  and  it  is  proposed 
that  those  who  should  join  shall  be  repeatedly  solicited,  that  a  positive  or  a 
negative  answer  may  he  secured.  The  multiplicity  of  organizations  to  which 
breeders  and  scientists  belong  makes  it  difficult  to  secure  members. 

The  association  has  to  offer  as  inducements  to  persons  to  become  members, 
besides  the  privileges  and  responsibilities  of  its  annual  meetings,  an  annual 
report,  a  business  or  professional  card  in  the  directory  in  the  annual  report, 
the  good  offices  of  the  association  in  having  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
and  the  experiment  stations  send  to  its  members  such  public  documents  as  the 
directory  cards  may  show  that  the  members  are  respectively  interested  in.  No 
doubt  other  advantageous  features  will  be  developed. 

The  association  is  determined  that  a  large  membership  shall  be  secured.  It 
is  in  need  of  help  to  gain  a  sufficient  number  of  annual  and  life  member- 
ships so  that  it  will  be  recognized  as  having  been  fairly  launched  as  a  strong. 
conservative,  and  permanent  association.  It  is  also  in  immediate  need  of  suf- 
ficient financial  aid  to  publish  its  first  annual  report,  for  which  there  is  an 
abundance  of  excellent  material. 

W.  M.  Hays, 
L.  H.  Bailey, 
C.  F.  Curtiss, 
H.  J.  Webber. 
Thos.  F.  Hunt, 

Committee. 

The  report  was  accepted  and  the  committee  was  continued  for  another  year. 

Military  Instruction. 

The  following  resolution  adopted  by  the  section  on  college  work  and  admin- 
istration was  presented  and  adopted  (see  p.  63)  : 

Rcsoh-r<l.  That  the  executive  committee  he  instructed  to  present  the  views  of 
the  association  in  reference  to  military  tactics  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States  or  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  or  both  :  or,  if  it  seems  preferable  to  the 
executive  committee,  that  they  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  special  committee  for 
this  purpose. 

The  Upbuilding  of  Agriculture. 

W.  Saunders,  Director  of  Canadian  Experimental  Farms,  read  the  following 
paper  on  this  subject : 

It  is  not  my  purpose  on  this  occasion  to  dwell  on  the  history  of  the  progress 
of  agriculture  from  early  times,  but  to  call  attention  to  some  points  in  connec- 
tion with  the  marvelous  progress  which  has  been  made  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  in  the  knowledge  and  practice  of  agriculture  within  a  comparatively 
recent  period. 

Agricultural  progress  in  the  United  States  was  greatly  influenced  by  the  pass- 
ing of  the  land-grant  act  in  1881,  by  which,  through  the  liberality  of  Congress, 
provision  was  made  for  the  endowment  of  a  college  of  agriculture  and  mechanic 
arts  in  every  State  of  the  Union.  The  grant  was  a  generous  one — 30.000  acres 
for  each  Senator  and  Representative  in  Congress  to  which  such   State  was 


70 

entitled  at  the  time  the  act  was  passed,  it  provided  that  the  whole  of  the  money 
received  from  the  sale  of  these  lands  should  he  invested  in  safe  securities  and 
the  interest  only  used  for  the  maintenance  of  the  college  referred  to. 

The  individual  States  were  required  to  furnish  the  necessary  land  and  build- 
ings for  these  institutions,  so  that  the  money  received  from  the  land  granted 
might  be  preserved  in  full  as  a  permanent  and  suhstanthil  endowment  fund  to 
be  used  only  for  maintenance  purposes.  Nine  million  six  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  public  lands  were  thus  appropriated,  from  which  a  large  fund  has 
accumulated. 

During  the  next  few  years  a  college  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  was 
established  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  land-grant  act  in  nearly 
every  State  in  the  Union,  the  land  and  buildings  being  furnished  by  the  State 
or  by  the  liberality  of  the  cities  or  towns  in  or  near  which  these  institutions 
were  located.  In  many  instances  there  was  associated  with  the  teaching  college 
an  experimental  farm,  where  many  useful  lines  of  work  were  conducted. 
Experiments  were  carried  on  in  connection  with  dairying  and  in  the  feeding  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  swine;  to  test  the  usefulness  of  different  fertilizers  when 
applied  to  crops,  and  to  ascertain  the  relative  value  of  many  varieties  of  grain, 
grasses,  and  other  fodder  crops.  Varieties  of  fruits  and  vegetables  were  also 
tested  with  the  object  of  finding  out  in  each  case  the  most  profitable  sorts  for 
the  farmers  to  grow. 

After  some  years  of  experience  it  was  found  that  a  teaching  staff  could  not 
satisfactorily  discharge  its  duties  to  the  students  and  at  the  same  time  carry 
on  experimental  work  with  the  care  and  thoroughness  which  its  importance 
demanded.  The  teaching  was  imperative,  as  the  students  were  gathered  pri- 
marily for  instruction.  The  experimental  work  was  taken  up  as  opportunity 
offered,  and  under  such  conditions  satisfactory  progress  could  seldom  be  made. 
At  the  same  time  the  importance  of  experimental  work  pressed  on  the  minds  of 
those  who  realized  how  much  might  thus  be  done  to  help  the  working  farmer. 
Then  separate  experiment  stations  began  to  be  organized  whose  officers  were  to 
give  their  whole  time  and  attention  to  this  work,  and  the  advantages  attending 
this  course  were  soon  manifest.  Public  opinion  favored  the  extension  of  such 
work,  and  in  1887  the  Hatch  bill  was  passed  by  the  United  States  Congress, 
which,  by  a  liberal  yearly  grant  from  the  Federal  Treasury,  provided  for  the 
support  of  a  well-organized  experiment  station  in  each  State  and  Territory  in 
the  Union. 

These  stations  were  rapidly  organized,  and  with  the  further  aid  of  State 
appropriations  were  soon  actively  engaged  in  many  useful  lines  of  experi- 
ments bearing  on  the  upbuilding  of  agriculture.  During  the  seventeen  years 
which  have  since  passed  a  vast  fund  of  useful  information  has  been  accumulated 
and  given  to  the  farming  public  in  reports  and  bulletins,  and  the  practice  of 
agriculture  has  thus  been  assisted  in  every  direction.  With  a  small  army  of 
workers  engaged  in  the  attempt  to  solve  the  various  problems  which  prove  a 
hindrance  to  the  farmer,  progress  has  been  rapid,  and  in  every  line  of  agricul- 
tural work,  conducted  under  all  the  varying  conditions  of  climate  found  in  this 
country,  patient  investigators  have  made  numerous  experiments  with  the  laud- 
able object  of  finding  out  how  the  practice  of  farmers  might  be  improved  and 
the  profits  of  their  business  increased.  Toward  this  end  the  teaching  colleges 
have  also  lent  their  influence  and  aid.  The  country  may  well  feei  proud  of 
these  excellent  institutions,  which  have  been  established  on  so  permanent  a 
basis,  and  the  representatives  of  both  these  useful  organizations,  assembled  here 
to  confer  together  and  to  discuss  matters  bearing  on  the  welfare  of  agriculture, 
should  feel  gratified  at  the  high  position  to  which  experimental  agriculture  has 
attained  in  the  United  States. 

It  would  be  unpardonable  were  I  to  fail  to  refer  to  the  great  work  which  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  at  Washington  has  done  to  stimulate  the  progress  of 
agriculture.  Much  of  this  work  has  been  of  a  highly  scientific  character  and 
much  of  it  thoroughly  practical.  The  liberality  which  the  country  has  shown 
in  the  increase  of  appropriations  made  for  this  purpose  is  remarkable,  and,  as 
far  as  I  know,  without  a  parallel.  The  sum  appropriated  in  1886  for  defraying 
all  the  expenses  connected  with  all  branches  of  the  work  carried  on  by  the 
Department  was  $408,810,  while  in  1003  it  amounted  to  the  enormous  sum  of 
S5.013.9G0.  In  the  meantime  the  number  of  officers  in  the  main  divisions  of  the 
work  has  been  largely  increased  and  the  divisions  subdivided.  Many  new  lines 
of  work  have  been  taken  up  and  investigations  conducted  in  nearly  every  part 
of  the  United  States  and  its  colonies. 


71 

In  Canada  also  some  progress  has  boon  made  In  the  upbuilding  of  agriculture. 
Twenty  years  ago  agriculture  was  In  ;i  very  depressed  condition  In  Canada  and 
mucb  concern  thereby  awakened.  The  Importance  of  ;i  prosperous  condition  of 
agriculture  there  is  difficult  to  overestimate  when  we  consider  thai  aboul  one 
hair  of  the  population  are  engaged  In  agricultural  pursuits  and  that  agriculture 
is  iiic  mainstay  of  :ill  other  Industries,  in  1884  the  Bouse  of  Commons 
appointed  a  select  committee  to  inquire  Into  the  best  means  of  developing  ;ni<l 
encouraging  the  agricultural  interests  of  Canada.  This  committee  made  a  ease- 
ful inquiry  into  the  subject,  also  as  to  the  disadvantages  and  wants  experienced 
by  fanners,  taking  evidence  from  various  persons  who  had  made  a  special  study 
of  the  different  branches  of  industry  included  under  the  general  term  agricul- 
ture, and  of  others  having  a  scientific  knowledge  bearing  on  this  subject.  In 
the  report  subsequently  submitted  to  the  House  of  Commons  the  substance  of 
the  evidence  accumulated  is  thus  summarized : 

••  Notwithstanding  the  great  progress  made  in  recent  years,  it  appears  that 
there  is  a  large  amount  of  defective  farming  in  this  country.  In  the  cultivation 
Of  cereals,  roots,  and  grasses  there  is  want  of  periodical  change  of  seed,  selec- 
tion of  improved  varieties,  a  proper  rotation  of  crops,  with  a  lack  of  thorough 
tillage  and  a  knowledge  of  the  value  and  suitability  of  manures.  The  value 
of  manures  is  in  many  cases  unheeded,  and  much  fertilizing  power  is  lost 
through  negligent  exposure  and  the  waste  of  liquid  manures.  In  stoek  raising 
the  chief  deficiencies  are  the  want  of  pure-bred  males,  lack  of  knowledge  of  the 
adaptability  of  breeds  to  particular  conditions  throughout  the  Dominion,  the 
want  of  better  pasture  and  more  abundant  tree  shelter.  In  the  production  of 
butter  the  milk  is  frequently  not  properly  cared  for,  nor  is  suitable  attention 
paid  to  the  selection  of  milch  cows,  and  the  food  given  is  often  deficient  in  nutri- 
ment and  in  milk-producing  qualities. 

"  Low  grades  of  butter  are  attributable  to  want  of  skill  in  its  manufacture 
and  want  of  improved  apparatus.  In  cheese  making  the  need  of  greater  skill 
and  want  of  scientific  knowledge  is  also  felt.  In  the  cultivation  of  fruit  a  great 
want  is  experienced  in  many  sections  of  hardier  varieties  and  of  varieties  with 
Improved  keeping  qualities.  There  is  also  a  deplorable  want  of  knowledge  regard- 
ing the  insects  and  diseases  injurious  to  fruit  trees." 

Careful  investigation  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  lack  of  success  was  not 
due  to  any  fault  in  the  soil  or  climate  of  this  country  nor  to  a  want  of  industry 
among  the  farmers,  but  to  defective  farming,  to  want  of  skill  and  knowledge 
in  all  departments  which  the  farmer  of  himself  was  scarcely  able  to  remedy. 

The  committee  recommended  that  the  Government  establish  an  experimental 
farm  or  farms  where  experiments  might  be  carried  on  in  connection  with  all 
branches  of  agriculture  and  horticulture,  and  that  the  results  of  the  work  con- 
ducted should  be  published  from  time  to  time  and  distributed  freely  among  the 
farmers  of  the  Dominion. 

The  recommendations  of  this  committee  were  acted  on.  Information  was 
first  obtained  regarding  experimental  stations  then  in  operation  in  Europe  and 
America  and  the  methods  pursued  by  them  in  their  efforts  to  gain  information 
valuable  to  the  farmer  and  early  in  1886  an  act  was  introduced  and  passed 
almost  unanimously,  authorizing  the  Government  to  establish  a  central  experi- 
mental farm  and  four  branch  farms.  The  central  farm  was  to  be  located  at  or 
near  the  capital.  Ottawa,  where  it  was  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the  two  larger 
provinces,  Ontario  and  Quebec.  The  branch  farms  were  to  be  distributed  as 
follows: 

One  for  the  three  maritime  provinces  jointly.  Nova  Scotia.  New  Brunswick, 
and  Prince  Edward  Island:  one  for  the  province  of  Manitoba;  one  for  the 
Northwest  Territories,  and  one  for  British  Columbia.  The  work  to  be  under- 
taken at  these  several  experimental  farms  was  set  forth  in  the  act  and  covered 
all  lines  of  experiments  relating  to  agriculture,  horticulture,  and  arboriculture. 

Within  two  years  the  land  for  the  several  farms  was  secured,  the  necessary 
officers  appointed,  most  of  the  buildings  erected,  and  the  farms  put  in  practical 
operation.  The  central  farm  was  located  near  Ottawa,  the  branch  farm  for  the 
three  eastern  provinces  at  Nappan.  Nova  Scotia  :  that  for  Manitoba  at  Brandon: 
the  farm  for  the  Northwest  Territories  at  Indian  Head,  in  Assinniboia.  and 
that  for  British  Columbia  at  Agassiz,  in  the  coast  climate  of  that  province. 

In  the  choosing  of  these  sites  the  purpose  in  view  was  to  have  them  fairly 
representative  of  the  larger  settled  areas  in  the  provinces  or  territories  in  which 
they  were  placed  both  as  to  soil  and  climate.  In  the  arrangement  of  the  work 
such  experiments  as  were  most  likely  to  be  beneficial  to  the  larger  number  of 


settlers  were  in  each  case  among  the  lirst  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  officers 
in  charge. 

Eighteen  years  have  passed  since  tins  work  was  begun,  and  during  that  time 
agriculture  in  Canada  lias  made  unprecedented  advancement  It  is  not  claimed 
I  hat  this  progress  has  been  wholly  due  to  the  influence  and  work  of  the  Domin- 
ion Experimental  Farms;  much  credit  is  justly  due  to  the  various  measures 
carried  on  by  other  useful  organizations  established  mainly  by  the  several 
provinces. 

Foremost  among  these  is  the  Ontario  College  of  Agriculture  at  Guelph.  This 
is  a  well-equipped  institution  which  has  done  noble  work.  Farmers*  institutes, 
live-stock  associations,  fruit  growers'  associations,  and  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural societies  have  all  proved  helpers  in  this  good  cause.  The  commissioner's 
branch  of  the  Dominion  department  of  agriculture  has  also  been  an  important 
factor.  This  branch  deals  with  the  cooperative  dairy  interests,  the  development 
of  cold-storage  facilities  by  which  certain  food  products  can  be  carried  in  good 
condition  to  the  markets  in  Great  Britain,  the  inspection  of  fruits,  seeds,  etc. 
There  is,  however,  no  doubt  that  the  experimental  farms  established  by  the 
Federal  Government  have  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  general  upbuild- 
ing of  agriculture  in  Canada.  The  progress  referred  to  has  resulted  in  a  general 
improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  agricultural  population  all  over  the  country 
and  in  a  vast  increase  in  the  exports  of  agricultural  products. 

There  is  probably  no  employment  which  engages  man's  attention  that  requires 
more  skill  and  more  general  information  than  farming.  Competition  is  keen 
throughout  the  civilized  world,  and  the  farmer  must  turn  to  practical  account 
q\  ery  advantage  within  his  reach  bearing  on  improvement  in  the  quality  of  his 
products  and  in  lessening  the  cost  of  their  production,  if  he  is  to  maintain  and 
improve  his  position. 

Investigations  and  experimental  research  have  been  conducted  on  almost 
every  line  bearing  on  agriculture,  and  a  great  mass  of  important  facts  has  been 
accumulated  and  given  to  the  farming  community  in  reports  and  bulletins. 

When  the  experimental  farms  were  planned  it  was  intended  that  they  should 
become  bureaus  of  information  to  which  farmers  could  apply  from  time  to  time 
to  aid  them  in  the  solution  of  difficulties  which  frequently  present  themselves 
during  the  progress  of  farm  work.  Evidence  of  their  usefulness  in  this  way  is 
furnished  in  the  rapid  increase  of  correspondence  carried  on  with  farmers  in  all 
parts  of  the  Dominion.  In  1889,  the  year  after  the  farms  had  become  fairly 
organized,  the  number  of  letters  received  was  about  8.000.  During  the  past  six 
years  the  average  number  annually  received  at  all  the  experimental  farms  was 
00,222.  In  addition,  over  220,000  reports  and  bulletins  have  been  sent  each 
year.  There  is  thus  a  constant  flow  of  information  going  to  Canadian  farmers 
from  all  the  experimental  farms. 

It  is  as  a  rule  a  difficult  matter  to  bring  about  rapid  changes  in  the  ideas  and 
practice  of  farmers,  but  as  soon  as  they  are  convinced  that  experimental  work 
is  carried  on  in  a  practical  manner  by  persons  competent  to  give  information, 
that  it  is  undertaken  in  their  interest  and  with  the  special  object  of  making 
farming  more  profitable,  their  sympathy  and  cooperation  are  assured. 

Experimental  agriculture  covers  so  large  a  field  that  I  can  but  briefly  refer 
on  this  occasion  to  a  few  important  points  in  connection  with  the  work  which 
has  been  done  for  the  upbuilding  of  agriculture  in  Canada,  such  as  will  indicate 
the  general  trend  of  the  work. 

The  principles  which  underlie  successful  crop  growing  may  be  thus  sum- 
marized:  Maintaining  the  fertility  of  the  land,  adopting  a  judicious  rotation  of 
crops,  following  the  best  methods  of  preparing  the  land,  early  sowing,  choosing 
the  best  and  most  productive  varieties,  and  the  selection  of  plump  and  well- 
ripeued  seed.     Along  all  these  lines  many  experiments  have  been  conducted. 

Continued  efforts  have  been  made  to  gain  knowledge  as  to  the  best  methods  of 
.maintaining  and  adding  to  the  fertility  of  the  land.  In  this  connection  special 
attention  has  been  given  to  investigations  to  determine  the  best  methods  of 
handling  and  using  barnyard  manure — the  universal  fertilizer,  which  is  more  or 
less  available  everywhere  to  the  farmer. 

Experiments  continued  for  eleven  successive  years  have  shown  that  a  given 
weight  of  manure  taken  fresh  from  the  barnyard  is  equal  in  crop-producing 
power  to  the  same  weight  of  rotted  manure.  It  has  also  been  shown  by  repeated 
tests  that  fresh  manure  loses  during  the  process  of  rotting  from  50  to  CO  per 
cent  of  its  weight.  The  effective  use  of  barnyard  manure  so  as  to  obtain  the 
best  results  with  the  least  waste  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  important 
problems  connected  with  successful  agriculture,  for  on  this  material  the  farmer's 


73 

hopes  of  maintaining  tbe  fertility  of  bis  land  and  thus  providing  for  a  succession 
of  good  crops  are  mainly  based,  it  is  estimated  thai  the  manure  produced  In 
the  solids  and  liquids  of  animals  in  the  United  states  will  probably  amount  to 
about  1,000  million  tons  annually,  and  that  in  Canada  to  aboul  100  million  tons. 
The  financial  loss  involved  in  the  wasteful  handling  of  such  a  vast  amount  of 
valuable  material  should  impress  us  all  with  the  Importance  of  this  subject 

Tests  for  eleven  years  were  also  carried  on  with  artificial  manures  to  gain 
information  as  to  their  relative  value  when  used  separately  or  in  combination 
on  nearly  all  the  more  important  farm  crops.  The  results  had  from  artificial 
fertilizers  used  alone  have  been  disappointing,  considering  the  large  proportion 
of  available  plant  food  they  contain.  The  reason  for  this  lies  probably  in  the 
fact  that  these  fertilizers  contain  no  humus  and  that  the  proportion  of  vegetable 
matter  in  the  soil  has  been  much  reduced  by  constant  cropping  and  the  capacity 
of  the  soil  for  holding  moisture  lessened,  to  the  detriment  of  its  crop-producing 
power. 

The  plowing  under  of  clover  has  been  most  effective  as  an  additional  source 
of  fertility.  It  increases  the  store  of  available  plant  food  by  the  addition  of 
nitrogen  obtained  directly  from  the  atmosphere.  It  also  adds  to  the  mineral 
plant  foods  available  by  gathering  these  from  depths  not  reached  by  the  shallower 
root  systems  of  other  farm  crops.  It  also  serves  as  a  catch  crop  during  the 
autumn  months,  retaining  fertilizing  material  brought  down  by  the  rain,  much 
of  which  would  otherwise  be  lost.  It  also  supplies  the  soil  with  a  large  addi- 
tion of  humus  w  hereby  the  land  is  made  more  retentive  of  moisture,  and  results 
in  a  deepening  and  mellowing  of  the  soil. 

In  a  series  of  14  plats  of  oats,  covering  a  period  of  five  years,  where  clover 
was  sown  and  plowed  under  on  alternate  plats,  the  plats  with  clover  gave  an 
average  increased  yield  of  grain  of  about  0  bushels.  In  a  similar  series  of 
plats  of  barley  where  grown  after  clover  there  was  an  average  gain  of  8  bushels 
and  31  pounds  per  acre.  In  all  these  plats  there  was  also  a  considerable 
increase  in  the  weight  of  straw  produced.  Proportionate  gains  have  also  been 
made  in  trials  with  Indian  corn  and  potatoes.  Many  other  examples  might  be 
given. 

In  preparing  land  for  crops  different  methods  are  adopted  in  different  parts 
of  the  Dominion.  In  the  eastern  provinces  the  fall  plowing  of  land  is  now 
generally  followed,  as  crops  can  be  sown  earlier  by  the  adoption  of  this  method. 
On  the  Northwest  plains  it  has  been  found  of  great  advantage  to  summer- 
fallow  a  part  of  the  land  each  year.  This  practice  conserves  moisture, 
destroys  weeds,  and  brings  the  farmer  much  larger  crops.  The  yield  of  wheat 
on  land  which  has  been  summer-fallowed  will  average  fully  one-third  more 
than  it  will  on  land  which  has  been  prepared  by  fall  or  spring  plowing. 

That  increased  crops  result  from  early  sowing  has  been  fully  demonstrated 
by  the  tests  carried  on  at  the  central  farm.  Experiments  with  early,  medium, 
and  late  sowings  were  conducted  for  ten  years  on  plats  of  one-tenth  acre  each. 
sowing  twro  varieties  each  year  of  wheat,  barley,  oats,  and  peas.  The  land 
was  very  uniform  and  all  similarly  prepared.  Six  sowings  were  made  in  each 
case,  the  first  at  the  earliest  time  practicable,  the  second  at  the  end  of  a 
week,  and  others  at  the  end  of  each  subsequent  week  until  six  successive 
sowings  had  been  made.  These  plats  were  all  harvested  and  thrashed  sepa- 
rately and  the  results  recorded  The  best  crops  have  been  had  from  the  second 
sowings,  made  just  one  week  after  it  was  possible  to  get  on  the  land;  beyond 
this  delay  has  resulted  in  loss,  which  has  become  more  serious  as  the  delay 
has  been  greater.  The  average  of  the  ten  years'  experiments  shows  that  with 
wheat  a  delay  of  one  week  after  the  period  named  has  entailed  a  loss  of  over 
30  per  cent,  two  weeks  40  per  cent,  three  weeks  nearly  .10  per  cent,  and  four 
weeks  50  per  cent  of  the  crop. 

With  oats  a  delay  of  one  week  has  caused  a  loss  of  over  15  per  cent,  two 
weeks  22  per  cent,  three  weeks  32  per  cent,  and  four  weeks  48  per  cent. 

In  the  case  of  barley  a  delay  of  one  week  has  resulted  in  a  loss  of  23  per 
cent,  two  weeks  27  per  cent,  three  weeks  40  per  cent,  and  four  weeks  40  per 
cent. 

With  peas  a  delay  of  one  week  has  caused  a  loss  of  4  per  cent,  two  weeks 
12  per  cent,  three  weeks  22  per  cent,  and  four  weeks  30  per  cent. 

The  results  of  these  experiments  have  been  widely  published  and  farmers 
in  the  East  now  pay  general  attention  to  early  sowing. 

Another  important  consideration  in  connection  with  successful  farming  is 
the  selection  of  the  best  varieties  of  seed  for  sowing,  taking  into  consideration 


74 

productiveness,  quality,  and  earliness  of  maturing.  That  there  arc  varieties 
more  productive  and  earlier  in  ripening  than  others  has  been  abundantly 
proven. 

During  a  live  years'  test  of  41  varieties  of  oats,  all  of  them  sown  each  year 
OH  the  same  (lay  and  on  adjoining  plats,  the  results  have  shown  the  relative 
productiveness  of  certain  sorts.  Each  year  a  list  has  been  published  of  the 
heaviest-yielding  12  in  the  series,  and  during  the  whole  period  of  live  years 
only  15  of  the  41  varieties  have  found  their  way  into  this  select  list,  and  1) 
of  these  have  appeared 'anionic  the  best  12  every  year. 

Similar  evidence  has  been  furnished  with  spring  wheat.  :;i  varieties  of  which 
have  been  under  trial  for  a  like  period.  In  this  instance  16  of  the  *'>1  sorts 
have  appeared  among  the  best-yielding  12  during  the  live  years"  trial  and  ;>  of 
these  varieties  have  appeared  each  year  in  that  list.  The  evidence  as  to  per- 
sistent productiveness  in  certain  varieties  of  barley  is  still  more  striking. 

In  the  oat  plats  the  difference  in  crop  is  large,  ranging  from  80  bushels  to 
42  bushels.  Spring  wheat  has  ranged  from  31  to  lb  bushels,  barley  from  58 
to  .".."»  bushels,  and  peas  from  46  to  20  bushels. 

The  importance  of  growing  those  varieties  which  will  give  the  largest  crops  is 
manifest  when  we  consider  the  very  large  areas  under  cultivation.  Taking  the 
acreage  in  Canada  alone  devoted  to  the  oar  crop,  which  is  very  small  compared 
with  the  United  States,  an  increase  there  of  a  single  bushel  per  acre  to  the 
average  crop  adds  to  the  profits  or  Canadian  farmers  over  a  million  of  dollars. 

Rut  it  may  be  asked.  How  can  farmers  procure  these  prolific  strains  of  seed? 
The  following  is  the  method  pursued  in  Canada  :  After  careful  and  continued 
experiment  has  shown  that  any  variety  is  specially  productive  and  promising, 
this  is  cultivated  on  a  larger  scale  so  as  to  admit  of  the  free  iistribution  of 
samples  among  the  farmers  of  the  Dominion.  This  grain  is  grown  chiefly  at 
the  branch  experimental  farms  in  the  west  and  distributed  from  the  central 
farm  at  Ottawa,  where  the  samples  can  be  sent  free  through  the  mail.  They 
are  sent  out  in  strong  cotton  bags,  the  quantity  of  oats  forwarded  to  each  appli- 
cant being  4  pounds,  and  of  wheat  and  barley  5  pounds,  sufficient  in  each  case 
to  sow  one-twentieth  of  an  acre.  These  samples  are  sent  only  on  personal 
application,  and  only  one  variety  can  be  had  by  an  applicant  each  year. 
Under  this  restriction  the  number  of  samples  sent  out  during  the  past  eight 
years  has  averaged  36,684,  requiring  about  70  tons  of  seed  annually.  Last  year 
this  distribution  reached  over  40.000  farmers,  and  the  interest  felt  in  it  is 
steadily  increasing. 

Not  only  is  the  grain  sent  out  of  high  quality,  but  it  is  also  thoroughly  clean. 
If  a  farmer  takes  reasonable  care  of  the  sample  he  receives,  he  can  soon  have 
sufficient  seed  to  sow  a  large  area  for  himself  and  have  a  surplus  to  sell  to  his 
neighbors.  This  may  perhaps  be  best  illustrated  by  two  or  three  extracts  from 
correspondents  regarding  oats,  representing  a  large  number  of  such  letters 
received.  Similar  testimony  in  regard  to  samples  of  wheat  and  barley  could  be 
given. 

A  farmer  from  Dauphin,  Manitoba,  writes :  "  The  sample  bag  of  4  pounds 
of  oats  sent  me  two  years  ago  gave  me  the  first  year  5  bushels.  This  year  we 
sowed  these  on  2  acres,  and  we  got  217  bushels.*' 

A  correspondent  from  Laurel,  Ontario.  >ays  :  "  We  got  a  sample  of  oats  from 
you  six  years  ago,  and  they  gave  us  great  satisfaction.  The  people  about  here 
think  very  highly  of  them,  and  there  are  thousands  of  bushels  of  them  grown. 
The  farmers  aie  coming  here  for  seed  for  20  miles  around.*' 

Another  farmer  from  Carleton  Place.  Ontario,  says  :  "  The  oats  I  got  from 
the  experimental  farm  some  years  ago  have  been  worth  a  great  deal  of  money 
to  me,  in  increased  yield  and  increased  price,  as  I  have  sold  quite  a  quantity 
for  seed." 

Another  farmer  from  Piedmont.  Nova  Scotia,  writes :  "  The  oats,  of  which  a 
sample  was  received  three  years  ago.  proved  an  excellent  variety.  I  had  420 
bushels  last  year.     They  yielded  74  bushels  to  the  acre.'" 

It  is  thus  apparent  that  with  attention  and  care  any  farmer  may  soon  provide 
himself  under  this  liberal  arrangement  with  the  best  and  most  productive 
strains  of  seed  in  suificient  quantities  for  a  large  area  at  no  cost  to  himself 
beyond  that  of  his  own  labor. 

The  recent  increase  observed  in  the  yearly  average  of  cereal  crops  in  Canada, 
which  is  very  considerable,  is  no  doubt  due  in  large  measure  to  the  more 
general  cultivation  of  highly  productive  varieties  brought  about  by  these  annual 
distributions. 


75 

Many  varieties  of  grain  have  been  brought  to  Canada  for  test  Prom  nearly 
all  the  grain-growing  countries  In  the  world.  This  has  been  done  with  the  ii< >] •» • 
of  finding  varieties  equal  In  quality  and  productiveness  t«.  the  best  of  those 
now  in  cultivation  and  earlier  In  ripening.  Borne  wheats  have  been  brought 
from  Qorthern  Russia  and  other  northern  parts  of  Europe;  some  from  high 
altitudes  in  India:  others  from  England,  France,  Germany,  Hungary,  the  United 
States,  Australia,  and  Japan.  The  wheats  from  northern  Europe  and  from 
India  have  usually  ripened  in  a  shorter  tfrne  than  the  Red  Fife,  which  is  one 
of  the  best  sorts  in  genera]  cultivation  in  Cauada,  but  most  of  them  have  been 
Inferior  in  quality  and  productiveness. 

During  the  progress  of  those  experiments  many  cross-bred  wheats  have  been 
originated  with  the  object  of  combining  the  good  qualities  of  two  or  more 
varieties,  in  most  of  these  crosses  Red  Fife  has  been  used  as  one  of  the  part  nts 
on  account  of  its  high  quality  and  productive  character. 

One  of  the  early  introduced  sorts  from  Russia  was  the  Ladoga,  which  was.  on 
an  average,  a  week  earlier  than  the  Red  Fife.  This  was  unacceptable  on  account 
of  the  yellow  color  i^i  the  flour  made  from  it.  hut  it  was  crossed  with  the  lied 
Fife   and   a    number  of   new   sorts   produced.      One  of   these,    known   as   Preston, 

has  exceeded  the  Red  Fife  in  yield  during  a  test  of  eight  years  by  If  bushels 
per  acre,  and  has  ripened  on  an  average  about  four  days  earlier. 

Another    variety,    known   as    Early    Riga,    was    obtained    by   crossing  one   of 

the  East  Indian  varieties  procured  from  an  elevation  of  11. imio  feet  in  the 
Himalayas  with  a  Russian  wheat  brought  from  near  Archangel,  one  id"  the  most 
northerly  wheat-growing  districts  in  Russia.  These  were  both  early  ripening 
sorts  and  were  of  good  quality,  hut  were  not  sufficiently  productive.  The  Early 
Riga  ripens  about  ten  days  earlier  than  the  Red  Fife  or  the  Blue  Stem,  and  is 
fully  equal  if  not  better  iu  quality,  hut  the  yield,  although  good,  is  not  quite  so 
heavy. 

These  gains  in  earliness  are  of  great  importance  in  Canada,  in  view  of  the 
immense  territory  we  have  lying  north  of  the  present  wheat  fields.  Such 
varieties  will  no  doubt  serve  to  materially  extend  the  area  of  successful  wheat 
growing.  About  1.000  new  varieties  of  wheat  have  been  produced  at  the  Cana- 
dian experimental  farms  in  the  manner  indicated,  and  among  these  there  are 
many  promising  sorts. 

Experiments  have  been  conducted  for  a  series  of  years  to  ascertain  the  quan- 
tity of  seed  grain  most  profitable  to  sow  per  acre,  the  depth  in  the  soil  at  which 
the  seed  should  be  placed  in  the  different  climates  in  the  Dominion,  aud  the 
relative  advantages  of  sowing  with  different  sorts  of  drills  as  compared  with 
broadcast  seeding. 

The  object  lessons  which  have  been  given  in  the  raising  of  fodder  crops  and 
the  making  of  silage,  thus  providing  cheap  and  succulent  food  for  cattle 
during  the  winter,  have  greatly  stimulated  the  dairy  industry,  especially  the 
manufacture  of  butter  in  winter.  The  experiments  carried  on  with  reference 
to  the  care  of  milk  and  the  economical  production  of  butter  of  high  quality  have 
received  much  attention  from  those  engaged  in  dairying.  The  experience  gained 
in  the  economical  feeding  of  cattle,  swine,  and  sheep,  and  in  testing  those  breeds 
best  adapted  to  produce  the  highest  quality  of  beef,  pork,  and  mutton,  has  stimu- 
lated and  aided  the  stock  industries.  The  business  in  eggs  and  dressed  fowls 
for  the  table  has  also  been  advanced  by  the  publication  of  the  results  of  experi- 
ments in  the  poultry  branch. 

The  instructive  tests  which  have  been  made  with  large  and  small  fruits  have 
served  to  show  where  these  can  be  grown  to  the  greatest  advantage,  and  have 
been  helpful  in  promoting  fruit  growing  over  those  large  areas  in  Canada  where 
the  climate  is  so  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  fruits  of  high  quality. 

Special  efforts  have  been  made  to  meet  the  difficulties  which  arise  in  the  more 
northern  districts  where  the  better  classes  of  existing  fruits  prove  too  tender. 
For  such  localities  new  sorts  have  been  produced  by  the  cross  fertilizing  of  very 
hardy  wild  Siberian  forms  with  some  of  the  hardiest  of  our  cultivated  apples. 
It  has  been  shown  that  such  cross-bred  fruits  are  hardy  enough  to  endure  the 
climate  in  all  the  settled  parts  of  the  Canadian  northwest 

The  information  which  has  been  given  on  the  growing  of  vegetables  and  the 
varieties  best  suited  to  the  different  climates  of  the  country  has  proved  very 
helpful.  Many  practical  experiments  have  been  conducted  in  the  growing  of 
forest  trees  to  furnish  shelter  for  exposed  situations.  Earge  quantities  of  young 
trees  and  tree  seeds  have  been  distributed  among  farmers  in  those  districts 
where   trees   are   scarce.     Some   limited   distribution    has   also   been   made   of 


76 

ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  with  the  view  of  encouraging  the  adornment  of 
homes  and  making:  them  more  attractive. 
Much  information  has  been  given  as  to  the  besl  remedies  for  the  destruction 

of  noxious  insects  and  for  resisting  the  attacks  of  fungns  diseases  from  which 
grain,  fruit,  and  other  crops  suffer  so  much.  The  subject  of  noxious  weeds  has 
also  been  investigated  and  the  best  measures  pointed  out  for  their  subjugation. 

In  the  chemical  division  Investigations  have  been  conducted  on  many  lines 
bearing  on  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  country  and  the  help  thus  rendered 
to  fanners  has  been  greatly  appreciated. 

Much  of  the  practical  information  gained  each  year  by  the  lines  of  experi- 
ments conducted  is  given  to  the  farmers  in  the  annual  reports  and  bulletins 
Issued.  Many  thousand  farmers  also  visit  the  farms  each  year.  The  officers  of 
all  the  farms  also  attend  meetings  of  farmers  held  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  where  opportunities  are  afforded  for  giving  fuller  explanations  con- 
cerning all  branches  of  the  work  in  progress. 

In  the  meantime  tlie  upbuilding  of  agriculture  has  progressed  rapidly  and 
the  occupation  of  farming  has  been  elevated  in  the  eyes  of  the  community.  It 
is  no  longer  looked  upon  as  a  drudgery  where  the  dull  and  slow-going  may  eke 
out  a  laborious  existence ;  it  is  now  recognized  as  a  suitable  field  for  the  exer- 
cise of  the  higher  intelligence  of  more  cultivated  minds,  as  a  calling  requiring 
much  skill  to  conduct  it  successfully. 

While  the  demands  of  the  home  market  for  food  products  are  immensely 
greater  than  they  were  twenty  years  ago.  the  export  of  farm  products  has 
greatly  increased.  In  18S4  the  total  export  of  wheat  and  flour  from  Canada  was 
about  a  million  dollars ;  in  1903  it  was  over  29  millions.  The  export  of  cheese, 
which  at  that  time  was  about  7  millions,  has  increased  to  over  24  millions. 
The  export  of  pork,  bacon,  and  hams  has  run  up  in  the  same  time  from  about 
half  a  million  to  over  16  million  dollars.  The  exports  of  fat  cattle  have  more 
than  doubled  and  large  increases  have  been  made  in  almost  every  other  line. 

There  are  still  opportunities  for  improvement.  Nowhere  have  we  reached  a 
stage  approaching  perfection,  and  I  know  of  no  pursuit  more  noble  than  that 
which  is  so  fully  represented  at  this  convention,  that  of  striving  to  add  to  the 
happiness  of  mankind  by  helping  the  tillers  of  the  soil  by  precept  and  experi- 
ment to  improve  their  condition,  thus  making  the  earth  to  yield  more  bounti- 
fully, producing  food  products  in  larger  quantity  and  of  better  quality  for  sus- 
taining the  teeming  millions  now  occupying  the  surface  of  our  globe. 

The  programme  committee  for  the  college  section  not  having  been  selected  by 
that  section  the  chairman  and  the  secretary  were  authorized  to  fill  the  committee 
by  the  selection  of  one  additional  member  to  act  with  themselves. 

On  motion  of  E.  B.  Voorhees,  of  New  Jersey,  the  annual  dues  of  each  college 
and  station  constituting  the  association  were  hxed  at  $15  for  the  year  1904-5. 

Indexing  Agricultural  Literature. 

E.  W.  Allen,  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  In  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee on  indexing  agricultural  literature,  which  was  read  by  Professor  Hays 
(see  p.  32).  reference  was  made  to  the  indexing  of  periodical  literature  relating 
to  agricultural  science.  This  work  was  undertaken  at  the  instigation  of  the 
experiment  stations,  there  having  been  considerable  demand  for  an  index  to 
scientific  literature  not  covered  by  any  indexes  we  now  have.  The  current  work 
of  the  periodicals  is,  as  you  know,  reviewed  in  the  Experiment  Station  Record, 
and  our  indexes  at  the  end  of  a  year  or  end  of  the  period  cover  that  current 
work  and  make  it  easily  accessible.  In  order  that  the  looking  up  of  work  that 
has  been  done  in  the  past  on  particular  subjects  might  be  simplified,  Miss  Clark, 
the  Librarian  of  the  Department,  has  undertaken,  at  the  request  of  this  com- 
mittee, to  prepare  an  index  of  the  scientific  periodicals  published  in  Europe  and 
in  this  country  relating  to  agricultural  science  and  has  secured  an  additional 
appropriation  from  Congress  in  order  that  she  might  carry  on  this  work  with 
less  interference.  She  has  now  assigned  a  regular  cataloguer  to  the  work  and 
is  going  forward  systematically.  As  the  report  referred  to  stated,  arrangements 
have  been  made  with  the  Library  of  Congress  to  print  these  cards.     The  printing 


77 

of  the  cards  has  been  undertaken,  and  a  circular  has  been  sent  <>ut  to  the 
institutions  announcing  the  Index  and  the  terms  on  which  it  can  be  subscribed 
for.  These  are  very  liberal,  I »u t  a  small  fee  is  required  because  it  is  not  the 
custom  of  the  Library  of  Congress  to  give  away  its  cards,  believing  people 
usually  appreciate  it  more  if  they  pay  a  small  sum.  The  cards  have  been  classi- 
fied by  subjects  in  such  a  way  that  a  person  who  dors  not  desire  a  complete  set 
can  get  those  relating  to  a  particular  topic  A  person  who  is  interested  in  a 
library  on  plant  diseases  can  subscribe  for  all  the  cards  on  plant  diseases,  and 

s i.    There  has  been  considerable  response  to  the  circular  sent  out,  but  it 

has  not  been  sufficiently  general  so  that  we  feel  warranted  in  concluding  that 
it  has  conie  to  the  attention  of  the  people  as  widely  as  it  should. 

C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa,  stated  to  the  convention  that  a  special  train  had  been 
provided  to  carry  the  members  of  the  convention  to  Ames  to  visit  the  Iowa 
Agricultural  College,  and  that  all  were  invited  to  join  in  the  trip. 

Resolution  Regarding  Director  True  and  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine,  offered  the  following: 

It  is  with  great  regret  that  the  association  notes  the  absence  of  Director  True 
of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  from  this  convention,  and  the  association 
hereby  tenders  him  its  appreciation  of  his  untiring  and  successful  endeavors  in 
behalf  of  this  association. 

It  also  takes  this  opportunity  to  commend  the  various  lines  of  work  of  the 
Office  of  Experiment  Stations  under  his  charge,  and  notes  in  illustration  the 
work  of  the  division  of  nutrition  in  its  study  of  the  nutritive  value  of  the  food 
of  man  as  a  line  of  work  in  cooperation  with  a  number  of  the  institutions  here 
represented  and  of  great  practical  as  well  as  scientific  importance  which  might, 
to  public  advantage,  be  extended. 

The  resolution  was  adopted. 

Resolutions  of  Thanks. 

M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky,  presented  resolutions  of  thanks  to  those  who  had 
contributed  to  the  success  of  the  meeting,  which  were  adopted. 

On  motion  of  H.  C.  White  the  thanks  of  the  association  were  returned  to  Mr. 
Saunders  for  his  interesting  paper,  and  it  was  ordered  that  the  address  be  made 
a  part  of  the  proceedings  of  the  convention. 

On  motion  of  W.  E.  Stone,  of  Indiana,  the  thanks  of  the  association  were 
returned  to  the  retiring  president,  W.  O.  Thompson. 

On  motion,  the  convention  then  adjourned  sine  die. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SECTIONS. 


SECTION  ON  COLLEGE  WORK  AND  ADMINJSTRATION. 


Afternoon   Session,  Tuesday,  November  1,  1004. 

The  section  was  called  to  order  nt  2  p.  in.  by  the  chairman,  W.  E.  Stone,  of 
Indiana. 

The  following  paper  was  presented  by  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio: 

How  Far  Should  or  May  Land-Grant  Colleges  Engage  in  Teaching  Ele- 
mentary Subjects  Not  Generally  Recognized  as  Belonging  to  the  Col- 
lege Curriculum? 

The  discussion  of  this  topic  involves  an  interpretation  of  the  Morrill  Act 
I  shall  first  give  some  attention  to  that  phase  of  the  discussion,  and  here  let  ine 
remark  : 

I.  The  word  "college"  at  the  time  of  the  Morrill  Act  signified  an  institution 
of  higher,  learning  for  which  certain  prescribed  academic  studies  were  required 
as  a  condition  of  entrance  and  in  which  institutions  there  were  certain  studies 
chiefly  prescribed  which  were  pursued  as  a  condition  of  a  baccalaureate  degree. 
From  a  practical  point  of  view  the  word  "college"  was  clear  and  distinct. 
"We  recognize  that  historical  and  traditional  idea.  When  we  come,  however,  to 
make  application  of  this  term,  we  are  compelled  to  recognize  also  that  a 
standard  for  entrance  or  basis  on  which  the  college  was  built  was  far  from  uni- 
form. This  variation  was  so  great  that  the  degrees  of  some  colleges  would 
require  a  little  more  than  the  entrance  requirements  of  to-day.  I  make  mention 
of  this  condition  in  order  to  make  one  other  remark,  namely,  that  the  dis- 
cussions in  Congress  could  not,  therefore,  be  interpreted  as  signifying  an  insti- 
tution of  such  standard  as  would  be  beyond  the  prevailing  conditions  of  the 
college  at  that  time.  It  is  true  that  this  prevailing  idea  did  not  imply  very 
much  as  to  the  grade  of  teaching  or  as  to  the  method  of  teaching.  It  would  be 
safe  to  assume  that  neither  the  method  nor  the  standard  would  be  regarded  as 
satisfactory  in  the  college  of  to-day.  This  leads  me  to  say.  Therefore,  that  very 
little  can  be  drawn  from  the  word  "  college "  as  occurring  in  the  statute. 
So  far  as  the  discussion  in  Congress  might  be  regarded  as  influencing  this 
decision,  I  should  say  that  the  word  "'college*'  could  be  interchanged  with  the 
word  "school"  and  do  no  great  violence  to  the  conception  prevalent  at  the 
time  the  Morrill  Act  was  passed. 

II.  A  further  interpretation  lies  in  the  modifying  phrase.  "  to  teach  such 
branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.'* 

It  would  seem  from  this  statement  that  Congress  made  no  effort  to  define  the 
term  "college,"  but  rather  to  indicate  in  a  general  way  the  lines  of  work  that 
were  to  be  pursued  and  to  be  given  special  emphasis.  The  term  "branches  of 
learning  as  are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts"  is  a  very  broad 
and  indefinite  statement  It  is  noticeable  that  these  branches  are  not  even 
named.  It  is  doubtful  whether  many  in  Congress  could  have  named  the  sub- 
jects, even,  or  could  have  recognized  them  if  they  had  been  named.  It  is  true 
that  the  discussions  in  Congress  did  emphasize  the  importance  of  maintaining 

(79) 
23880— No.  153—05  M G 


80 

the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  improving  the  live  stock  of  the  country,  but  the 
various  subjects  now  regarded  as  "related  to  agriculture "  and  as  of  tlie  highest 
Importance  are  quite  beyond  the  conception  in  the  mind  of  Congress.  Indeed. 
we  recognize  that  there  has  been  a  considerable  development  in  the  colleges 
themselves  in  the  way  of  minute  classification  as  well  as  in  interpretation  of 
subjects  not  then  in  the  minds  of  the  founders  of  these  colleges.  We  are  dis- 
posed, therefore,  to  assume  that  these  men.  looking  at  the  subject  in  a  broad 
and  general  way.  were  willing  to  leave  it  to  the  natural  development  that  would 
come  from  the  influence  of  such  institutions  when  organized.  This  would 
assume  that  a  higher  grade  of  work  than  was  contemplated  at  that  time  is 
probably  done  at  this  date.  Our  theme  looks  the  other  way  and  makes  the 
inquiry  whether  a  lower  grade  of  work  than  would  be  recognized  in  our  time  as 
college  work  could  be  admissible  as  meeting  the  terms  of  the  act. 

I  may  add  that  the  same  remark  could  be  applied  with  equal  force  concerning 
the  subjects  related  to  the  mechanic  arts.  The  one  subject  of  electricity  would 
be  suflicient  to  illustrate  that  much  work  now  being  regarded  as  perfectly 
logical  and  exactly  within  the  terms  used  in  the  statute,  was  at  the  same  time 
entirely  without  the  horizon  of  most  men  at  the  time  the  act  was  passed. 

Further,  it  is  noticeable  that  the  statute  provided  that  the  subjects  should 
be  taught:  that  it  neither  makes  nor  suggests  any  idea  as  to  the  grade  of  instruc- 
tion— that  is.  whether  it  shall  he  collegiate  or  preparatory — but  that  the  empha- 
sis is  put  clearly  upon  the  teaching  of  these  subjects.  It  is  plainly  upon  the 
surface  of  the  statute  that  these  subjects  were  new  subjects  of  study  and 
instruction.  The  colleges  that  were  to  teach  them  were  making  a  new  depar- 
ture, and  were  introducing  the  study  of  branches  hitherto  almost  entirely  neg- 
lected. It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  we  may  safely  assume  that  the  teaching 
of  the  subject  meets  the  statute  whether  it  be  done  in  an  elementary  or  in  a 
more  advanced  way. 

III.  A  further  interpretation  is  suggested  in  the  phrase,  "in  such  a  manner 
as  the  legislatures  of  the  States  may  respectively  prescribe."  It  is  a  matter  of 
some  importance  to  note  that  in  the  discussions  of  this  hill  and  in  the  veto  mes- 
sage of  President  Buchanan  there  was  serious  objection  raised  on  the  ground 
that  education  was  a  matter  in  which  the  local  government  should  have  supreme 
control.  It  was  argued  that  a  federal  government  had  no  right  to  interfere  or 
to  restrict  in  any  way  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  States  in  the  matter  of 
education.  This  old  argument  is  still  used  against  the  organization  of  a 
national  university.  It  seems  fair,  therefore,  to  say  that  this  phrase  now  under 
consideration  left  the  whole  question  of  the  manner  of  teaching  to  the  several 
States,  and  that  it  was  an  effort  to  avoid  an  unpleasant  debate  in  Congress, 
which  might  have  defeated  the  bill.  Assuming  this  statement  to  be  true,  it 
seems  entirely  clear,  therefore,  that  the  several  States  must  teach  the  subjects, 
and  that  the  manner  of  the  teaching  is  wholly  a  matter  of  local  jurisdiction.  This 
allows  large  liberty  as  bearing  upon  the  question  of  elementary  and  advanced 
discussions.  Ic  assumes  that  each  State  knows  how  money  can  be  expended 
most  wisely  within  its  borders  in  order  to  reach  the  general  ends  outlined  in 
the  statute.  It  would  be  assumed  theu.  as  it  would  be  assumed  now.  that  the 
conditions  in  the  several  States  would  vary,  and  that  what  was  wise  in  one 
instance  would  not  be  in  another.  There  is  a  substantial  unity  in  these  agricul- 
tural colleges,  but  there  is  no  such  thing  as  absolute  uniformity.  The  statute 
is  general  in  its  statements,  and  wisely  so.  The  chief  problem  is.  therefore,  to 
so  interpret  the  statute  that  it  may  in  the  several  localities  do  the  thing  desired, 
namely,  teach  certain  subjects,  and  through  instruction  in  these  subjects  awaken 
a  new  interest,  perpetuate  good  conditions,  and  make  way  for  improvement. 

IV.  We  are  interested  in  one  other  phrase :  M  In  order  to  promote  the  liberal 
and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and 
professions  of  life."  The  several  terms  in  this  phrase  offer  opportunity  for  a 
wide  discussion,  but  attention  is  called  to  one  or  two  features  only. 

(1)  The  expression  "practical  education"  was  evidently  intended  to  supple- 
ment the  word  "  liberal."  which  then  had  a  very  distinctive  meaning.  A  liberal 
education  was  not  then  assumed  to  be  a  practical  matter,  as  it  now  is.  Most 
men  now  regard  a  liberal  education  as  a  thoroughly  practical  one.  At  that 
time  a  little  different  conception  existed  in  the  minds  of  most  people.  The 
expression  "  practical  education."  therefore,  was  supplementary,  and  suggested 
in  a  broad  way  that  new  subjects  were  to  be  introduced  into  these  colleges  and 
a  new  emphasis  put  upon  the  importance  of  a  so-called  practical  education. 
The  general  idea  in  this  practical  education  was  that  it  should  prepare  men  to 
do  things.    The  liberally  educated  man  was  a  thinker ;  the  practically  educated 


81 

man  was  to  be  a  worker,  in  bo  far,  therefore,  aa  either  agriculture  or  the 
mechanic  arts  prepare  men  to  meet  these  requirements  they  may  be  regarded  as 
practical  education  within  the  limits  of  the  statute. 

(2)  The  industrial  classes  are  here  specifically  named,  it  seems  a  natural 
interpretation,  therefore,  that  we  were  to  have  a  working  education  for  a 
working  people.  The  expression  Mthe  several  pursuits  and  professions  of  lit**'" 
intimated  that  all  classes  would  be  benefited  by  these  colleges  and  that  they 
were  expected  to  dwell  together  in  the  pursuit  of  education.  It  was  clearly 
expected  that  those  studying  the  branches  of  learning  related  to  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts,  being  of  the  industrial  class,  would  be  made  more  effi- 
cient in  the- several  pursuits  of  life  and  that  many  of  them  would  probably  enter 
the  so-called  professions  of  life.  It  is  probable  also  that  this  statute  permits 
us  to  Bay  that  the  various  subjects  here  taught  would  Introduce  one  to  profes- 
sional life  within  the  limits  of  that  education.  It  would  probably  he  a  little 
too  much  to  urge  that  the  statute  anticipated  the  profession  of  agriculture  or 
the  profession  of  mechanic  arts.  It  does,  however,  seem  entirely  clear  that  the 
agricultural  colleges  were  expected  to  make  more  efficient  farmers  and  that  the 
colleges  of  mechanic  arts  were  expected  to  make  more  efficient  men  in  the  field 
of  mechanic  arts. 

From  these  discussions  of  the  statute  I  now  pass  to  a  more  specific  reply  to 
the  question  in  the  topic  under  discussion,  namely,  "how  far  may  these  colleges 
engage  in  teaching  elementary  subjects,"  and  here  I  remark  : 

I  1  i  That  I  see  no  reason  why  the  colleges  of  mechanic  arts  should  he  put 
under  any  rule  more  restrictive  than  the  rule  now  in  force  in  colleges  of  liberal 
arts  throughout  the  country.  It  is  well  known  that  with  the  changes  that  have 
occurred  in  our  entrance  requirements  and  with  the  introduction  of  the  elective 
idea  in  college  it  has  become  necessary  for  many  subjects  to  be  begun  in  col- 
lege. Among  these  you  will  find  listed  some  subjects  that  are  accepted  for 
entrance  requirements  that  were  formerly  prescribed  for  entrance  require- 
ments. Most  colleges  now  give  opportunity  for  beginning  the  study  cf  Greek. 
They  also  give  facilities  for  the  study  of  modern  languages.  They  also  give 
tacilities  for  the  beginning  cf  the  study  of  chemistry.  We  may  say  that  this 
is  not  elementary  teaching  or  that  these  subjects  are  uot  elementary,  but  tlxit  is 
a  mere  evasion  of  the  facts.  Many  a  student  gets  his  first  insight  in  these  sub- 
jects after  matriculation  as  a  regular  a  liege  student.  I  see  no  reason,  there- 
fore, why  the  beginning  of  a  subject  may  not  be  made  in  the  colleges  of  agri- 
culture and  mechanic  arts  with  as  much  propriety  as  in  a  college  of  liberal 
arts. 

(2)  Our  topic  suggests  elementary  subjects  not  generally  recognized  as 
belonging  to  the  college  curriculum.  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  are  very  few 
such  subjects.  All  science  belongs  to  the  college  curriculum.  Elementary 
physics  is  as  truly  physics  as  advanced  physics.  The  same  may  be  said  of  any 
other  science.  The  same  argument  would  apply  in  the  matter  of  language, 
whether  ii  be  ancient  or  modern.  So  far,  therefore,  as  the  legal  right  of  doing 
such  things  is  concerned,  it  seems  that  the  word  "elementary"  or  "advanced" 
is  not  important  The  real  question  is  whether  the  subject  itself  comes  within 
the  meaning  of  the  statute.  The  provisions  of  the  second  Morrill  Act  are  inter- 
esting as  in  a  way  interpreting  the  whole  situation.  This  second  act  recognizes 
the  propriety  of  teaching  English,  economics,  and  certain  other  subjects,  but 
seems  to  draw  the  line  against  the  use  of  money  for  certain  classical  purposes. 

(3)  The  significance  of  the  statute,  too.  must  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  the 
classes  for  which  the  colleges  were  founded.  Evidently  the  children  of  farmers 
were  chiefly  in  the  minds  of  Congress  at  the  time  of  the  discussions.  As  I  have 
had  occasion  to  say  elsewhere,  mechanic  arts  was  mentioned  in  the  discussion, 
but  not  with  any  great  emphasis.  The  appeal  was  made  largely  from  the  view 
point  of  agriculture.  Now.  it  would  not  be  fair  to  assume  that  the  persons  who 
are  to  be  benefited  by  the  college  of  agriculture  were  persons  whose  educational 
attainments  rendered  elementary  teaching  unnecessary.  That  was  not  the  con- 
dition of  rural  education  at  that  time,  and  we  regret  to  say  that  it  is  not  the 
condition  now.  To  make  such  interpretation,  therefore,  would  be  to  impose 
upon  all  the  coming  students  of  agriculture  the  necessity  of  an  education  that  is 
not  now  within  their  reach.  It  would  imply  the  development  of  rural  schools  to 
a  point  quite  beyond  the  present.  The  same  principle  would  hold  if  we  were 
to  think  of  the  children  of  industrial  classes  as  the  beneficiaries  of  the  colleges 
of  mechanic  arts.  Now  it  is  emphasized  that  these  colleges  were  to  meet  condi- 
tions existing  in  the  country  and  provide  a  type  of  education  in  which  Congress 


82 

expressed  a  profound  interest.  There  was  no  effort  to  set  up  n  standard  for 
these  colleges  and  demand  of  the  public  that  they  should  meet  that  standard. 

The  truth  is  the  colleges  were  to  meet  a  condition.  This  makes  it  all  the  more 
Imperative  that  the  question  should  always  be  a  local  our.  in  some  states 
where  rural  education  and  village  education  lias  reached  a  high  degree  of  eili- 
ciency  the  colleges  mighl  well  take  a  stand  and  he  justified  in  it.  that  would  be 
thoroughly  unjustifiable  in  less  favored  states,  or  where  the  elementary  educa- 
tion is  not  so  well  organized. 

ill  In  conclusion  I  may  say  that  the  only  rule  by  which  we  can  he  guided 
in  such  cases  would  he  an  honest  effort  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the  State  in 
which  the  college  is  located.  I  believe  it  to  Ik1  the  duty  of  these  colleges  1"  use 
their  influence  t<>  Improve  these  conditions  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Such  improve- 
ment would  relieve  the  college  of  some  work  now  necessary  and  give  it  oppor- 
tunity to  become  more  efficient  in  the  designated  fields  of  agriculture  ami 
mechanic  arts.  This  condition  forms  a  solid  argument  on  the  pari  of  these 
colleges  in  appealing  to  their  several  States  for  maintenance  and  development 
of  a  system  of  rural  education  which  will  make  the  colleges  more  efficient. 
Already  a  movement  in  the  interest  of  agriculture  in  the  rural  schools  has  made 
some  progress.  This  is  representative  of  what  may  he  done  when  an  interest 
has  been  aroused  anions:  the  people  which  shall  result  in  such  preparation  as 
will  make  them  hetter  able  to  take  full  advantage  of  their  colleges  of  agriculture 
and  mechanic  arts. 

R.  W.  Stimson.  of  Connecticut.  Let  me  emphasize  one  or  two  points  which 
have  heen  raised  in  the  paper  to  which  we  have  just  listened. 

What  did  Congress  intend  The  agricultural  colleges  to  he?  The  second 
Morrill  Act  was  passed  for  the  further  endowment  and  support  of  the  land- 
grant  colleges.  I  have  read  very  carefully  all  of  the  debates  and  discussions 
in  connection  with  the  passage  of  the  act.  and  I  can  not  find  a  serious  attack 
upon  the  land-grant  colleges  as  they  then  existed.  In  case  of  some  of  the 
colleges  and  departments  connected  with  other  institutions  there  was  serious 
dehate  and  some  criticism  on  the  ground  that  land-grant  money  was  being  used 
for  teaching  suhjects  which  were  not  obviously  and  immediately  for  the  henefit 
of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.  There  was  no  good  reason  why  the 
Federal  Government  should  give  more  money,  therefore,  for  duplicating  means 
of  education  which  could  he  had  in  other  institutions  as  well  as  in  the  land- 
grant  colleges.  There  was  no  criticism  cf  the  grade  of  instruction,  nor  of  the 
curriculum  of  the  land-grant  colleges. 

Now.  the  land-grant  colleges  in  1800  had  no  uniform  standard  of  entrance 
requirements.  Some  were  requiring  a  part  of  a  high-school  course  for  admis- 
sion. The  vast  majority  of  them,  however,  were  admitting  their  students 
directly  from  the  common  schools  to  the  college  course.  If  that  is  true,  and  if 
the  act  says  that  the  act  of  1800  was  passed  for  the  further  endowment  and 
support  of  the  land-grant  colleges,  is  it  not  clear  we  may  teach  anything  we 
please  so  far  as  grade  of  instruction  is  concerned,  and  provided  only  we  keep 
the  specified  suhjects?  It  seems  to  me  that  the  affirmative  is  true  on  that 
point. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  history  of  the  land-grant  colleges  since  1800  has  heen 
largely  a  repetition  of  the  history  of  those  institutions  hetween  1802  and  1890; 
that  is.  that  we  have  practically  the  same  sort  of  institutions  to-day  as  then 
existed.  That  would  seem  to  indicate  that  Congress  was  right  in  not  criticising 
these  institutions  and  in  spending  money  for  the  further  endowment  and  sup- 
port of  this  style  and  grade  of  education.  In  the  discussions  and  dehates  of 
Congress  on  these  measures.  I  think  you  would  find  that  the  term  "school" 
and  the  term  "  institution  "  were  used  quite  as  often  as  the  term  "college."  On 
the  whole,  then.  I  am  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  Congress  intended  that  we 
should  teach  what  the  land-grant  colleges  had  been  teaching  prior  to  1800.  and 
that  therefore  we  have  a  free  hand  in  doing  so. 


83 

A  clause  of  the  ad  of  1890,  however,  limits  the  curriculum  t«»  specified  sub- 
jects; but  it  is  understood  that  In  the  Senate  thai  clause  was  very  earnestly 

debated  and  the  original  restrictive  clause  was  tin-own  out.  it,  was.  however, 
restored  in  the  House,  it  is  said,  under  pressure  of  the  National  Grange,  and 
was  finally  accepted  by  the  Senate  In  its  present  form.     I  bring  this  to  your 

attention  to  indicate,  what  scans  to  me  to  be  true,  that  this  clause  was 
prompted  by  an  effort  not  to  determine  the  grade  Of  instruction,  hut  to  deter 
mine  that  these  institutions  to  he  further  endowed  and  supported  should  he 
turned  toward  the  industries  of  life  rather  than  toward  the  liberal  arts  and 
professions  of  life  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term. 

What  ought  you  and  I  to  do  to-day  with  all  this  freedom? 

In  Connecticut  we  have  two  sets  of  boys  who  ought  to  come  to  our  institu- 
tion— boys  who  have  been  in  the  common  schools  and  who  have  had  no  high 
schools  within  reach,  and  boys  who  have  been  in  the  high  schools,  and  who  are 
going  to  some  sort  of  college,  who  by  taste  and  inheritance  ought  to  come  to 
our  institution.  We  had  only  a  four-year  course.  We  had  a  little  agriculture 
iu  every  year,  and  a  considerable  of  the  elements  of  liberal  education  in  all  the 
years.  The  result  was  that  the  boy  coming  from  the  high  school  had  to  go 
back,  if  he  wanted  to  get  our  agricultural  instruction,  and  start  at  the  same 
point  where  the  boy  from  the  common  school  would  start.  You  see  what  differ- 
ence there  was  in  the  matter  of  training  and  mental  ability.  It  seems  to  me  the 
mental  ability  a  man  has  counts  for  vastly  more  than  the  subjects  he  studies. 
We  do  not  care  where  a  man  gets  his  brain  power.  If  he  has  got  it  and  can 
apply  it  to  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  we  are  ready  to  receive  it  and  put  it 
to  work.  But  we  wanted  to  put  in  the  proper  place  the  man  who  had  not 
developed  his  brain.  So  we  hit  on  this  scheme.  I  asked  a  committee  of  the 
faculty  to  work  out  a  two  years'  course  of  preparation  for  farming.  They 
worked  out  a  two  years'  course  in  farming  open  to  graduates  of  high  schools. 
Our  curriculum  as  it  stands  to-day  divides  our  studies  into  three  groups  of  two 
years  each.  We  offer  attractive  courses  to  boys  who  have  a  limited  amount  of 
education,  and  to  boys  who  find  it  in  their  power  to  get  considerable  education. 

In  addition  to  this,  in  special  subjects  we  give  short  courses  varying  from 
ten  days  to  a  year.  We  have  found  since  we  introduced  these  courses  that  we 
have  come  closer  to  our  natural  constituency  ;  we  have  the  respect  of  the  prac- 
tical farmer  as  we  never  had  it  before,  and  our  short  courses  have  fed  our  long 
courses.  Besides  our  short-course  work  in  the  winter,  we  have  been  holding 
a  summer  school  for  teachers  and  others,  in  which  v\  e  have  limited  our  subjects 
to  nature  and  country  life,  and  we  have  had  three  very  successful  sessions. 

It  seems  to  me  there  is  a  good  Held  for  the  land-grant  college,  and  that  each 
State  may  and  ought  to  organize  its  land-grant  college  so  as  to  meet  the  needs 
of  its  peculiar  constituents,  and  that  anything  and  everything  which  it  is  found 
practical  to  teach  within  these  limits  should  bo  taught. 

I  have  not  spoken  of  extension  work.  I  do  not  believe  extension  work  is  a 
proper  use  of  the  land-grant  college  money.  That  is.  we  hold  that  anything  you 
can  teach  at  the  college  in  connection  with  your  college  courses  is  appropriate 
and  may  be  paid  for  out  of  your  land-grant  college  money.  We  do  not  do  any 
extension  work  at  the  expense  of  the  Federal  Treasury.  Of  course  we  under- 
stand that  each  State  college  is  perfectly  free  to  use  the  money  it  receives  from 
its  own  legislature  and  its  own  State  treasurer  for  any  purpose  the  State  may 
designate. 

W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin.  President  Stimson  is  entirely  right  when  he  says 
that  the  Grange  was  hack  of  those  limitations  in  the  Morrill  Act  of  1890.  The 
argument  was  that  many  of  the  colleges  had  diverted  much  of  the  first  appro- 
priation to  purposes  not  closely  connected  with  instruction  in  agriculture  and 


84 

mechanic  arts,  and  to  give  more  money  without  restriction  would  be  to  simply 
give  further  Impetus  in  the  wrong  direction. 

R.  II.  Jesse,  of  Missouri.  I  feel  compelled  to  emphatically  dissent  from  much 
that  has  been  said  on  this  subject 

I  take  it  that  Congress  knew  what  a  college  was  just  as  well  as  we  knew 
what  a  college  is:  that  Congress  said  what  it  meant  and  meant  what  it  said 
when  it  established  colleges  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts.  It  is  very  true 
that  the  standards  of  admission  to  college  at  that  time  were  not  what  they  are 
today.  But  college  meant  as  truly  then  as  it  does  now  an  institution  that  is 
based  upon  secondary  education.  And  if  the  colleges  were  not  up  to  their 
presold  rank,  the  same  is  true  of  the  secondary  schools.  The  college  was  based 
upon  secondary  education  as  truly  in  th.it  day  as  it  is  now.  in  my  opinion,  to 
ose  any  portion  of  the  money  coming  from  the  Federal  Government,  either 
through  the  land-grant  act  of  1862  or  through  the  appropriation  act  of  1890,  for 
udary  education,  is  a  misappropriation  of  Federal  money. 

Any  State  that  wants  to  do  so  may.  out  of  the  State  treasury,  appropriate 
money  for  secondary  education — that  is  to  say.  for  the  preparatory  department  of 
its  college  of  agriculture:  but  I  think  that  any  State  which  does  that  commits 
a  blunder.  I  say  this  with  profound  conviction.  I  want  to  give  a  little  of 
my  own  experience  in  Missouri.  In  1S91  there  was  no  standard  of  admission 
to  any  department  of  the  University  of  Missouri.  Any  student  could  get  in  with 
an  application  and  a  fee.  We  began  to  raise  the  standards  of  admission  to  all 
departments  of  the  university,  until  to-day  there  is  no  department  that  does  not 
demand  for  admission  a  first-class  high  school  education.  As  we  raised  the 
standards  of  the  other  departments  we  at  first  left  the  college  of  agriculture 
behind.  The  faculty  of  the  college  of  agriculture  contended  that  the  condition 
of  the  rural  communities  in  Missouri  would  not  admit  of  any  standards  of 
admission  to  that  department.  But  in  getting  all  the  other  departments  to  the 
]>oint  where  they  rested  on  the  high  school  system  I  conceived  the  notion  that 
that  department  ought  to  go  up  too.  It  had  a  small  attendance ;  everybody 
seemed  to  avoid  it  who  could  get  into  any  other  department.  The  men  who 
came  and  failed  to  get  into  other  departments  dropped  into  the  college  of  agri- 
culture rather  than  go  home  again.  It  was  a  catch-all  of  the  other  departments, 
but  it  did  not  catch  enough  to  be  respectable  in  numbers.  I  brought  the  ques- 
tion before  the  faculty  of  agriculture.  The  whole  faculty  went  against  me 
except  one  man.  After  debating  the  thing  an  appeal  was  taken  to  the  board  of 
curators.  I  wrote  to  every  prominent  college  of  agriculture  in  the  United 
States,  asking  what  they  thought  about  the  propriety  of  demanding  high  school 
education  for  admission.  I  was  greatly  astonished  and  greatly  pleased  at  the 
unanimity  of  the  answers,  for  almost  without  exception  these  colleges  declared 
that  a  good  high  school  education  ought  to  be  demanded.  I  submitted  those 
letters  to  the  board  of  curators,  who,  after  carefully  considering  the  matter,  by 
a  unanimous  vote  decided  that  the  college  of  agriculture  should  be  raised  to  a 
parity  with  the  other  departments  of  the  university  and  that  admission  should 
be  based  upon  a  high  school  education.  The  next  fall  the  enrollment  in  the 
college  was  far  greater  than  it  ever  had  been  before,  and  it  has  been  growing 
steadily  ever  since.  In  the  present  year  the  enrollment  in  the  freshmen  class 
is  exactly  twice  what  it  was  a  year  ago.  When  we  made  the  college  of  agri- 
culture thoroughly  respectable  in  its  entrance  requirements,  men  began  to  come 
to  it.  and  men  are  now  forsaking  other  departments  to  enroll  in  that  of  agri- 
culture. 

Various  devices  have  been  employed  for  bridging  the  gap  between  the  elemen- 
tary schools  and  the  college  of  agriculture.  The  most  notable  of  those  attempts 
is  the  Minnesota  experiment.     In  this  case  there  is  between  the  college  and  the 


85 

primary  schools  fin  Institution  at  St.  Anthony  Park,  tlio  like  of  which  can  not 
be  found  on  the  Western  Hemisphere,  it  is  the  besl  secondary  school  of  agri- 
culture I  ever  saw,  and  as  President  Northrup  once  said  of  it.  "that  school  of 
agriculture  stands  in  the  minds  of  our  agricultural  classes  for  the  whole  uni- 
versity and  college."  That  is  just  my  Objection  to  it.  It  is  a  screen  between 
the  people  and  the  college  and  university,  in  spite  of  .Minnesota's  magnificent 
success.  I  am  willing  to  risk  the  entire  future.of  the  college  of  agriculture  of 
Missouri  on  my  faith  that  the  Minnesota  experiment  is  qoI  the  rigbl  way  of 
doing  it.  Let  me  say.  however,  that  the  Minnesota  school  is  supported  OUl  of 
State  funds,  and  involves  no  appropriation  of  Federal  funds. 

In  Wisconsin  they  have  established  two  schools  of  agriculture  at  different 
points  in  the  state.  I  believe  Wisconsin  is  going  to  equip  'those  schools 
magnificently.  If  such  schools  were  established  in  Missouri,  all  the  counties 
around  them  would  go  to  the  legislature  and  beg  that  they  be  made  district 
agricultural  colleges.  We  in  Missouri  never  intend  to  have  anything  between 
our  college  and  the  primary  schools  duplicating  and  running  opposition  to  the 
public  high  schools  of  our  State;  but  the  college  of  agriculture,  like  the  other 
departments,  is  going  to  be  put  in  as  a  part  of  the  public  school  system.  We 
are  striving  now.  though  I  can  not  point  to  any  great  results,  to  put  agricul- 
tural studies  in  the  public  school  system,  primary  and  secondary.  I  believe  that 
if  these  colleges  of  agriculture  would  abolish  utterly  all  their  preparatory 
departments,  would  begin  where  the  high  schools  left  off,  would  put  on  exam- 
iners for  the  secondary  schools,  would  spend  money  and  time  and  energy  on 
the  public  school  systems  of  their  States,  they  would  finally  get  their  public 
school  systems  into  desirable  harmony  with  the  college  of  agriculture.  In 
Missouri  we  are  risking  our  entire  future  on  the  doctrine  that  the  college  of 
agriculture  is  going  to  rest  on  the  public  high  schools,  and  we  are  going  to 
make  the  public  high  school  agricultural  as  far  as  it  ought  to  be  agricultural. 
It  is  the  long  way,  the  slow  way,  the  toilsome  way,  but  I  believe  that  it  is 
finally  the  right  way. 

L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York.  The  history  of  legislation  on  the  subject  indi- 
cates that  in  the  minds  of  legislators  it  is  legitimate  for  the  land-grant  college 
to  use  the  funds  for  elementary  instruction  and  extension  work.  Whether  or 
not  it  is  wise  for  us  to  so  use  them  is  quite  another  question.  We  have  had 
some  discussion  in  New  York  State  during  the  past  two  or  three  years  on  the 
subject  of  special  schools.  Three  years  ago  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  legisla- 
ture of  New  York  State,  which  passed  both  branches  of  the  legislature,  allowing 
the  establishment  of  one  school  of  agriculture  and  domestic  science  in  every 
county  in  New  York  State,  about  sixty-one  of  them.  It  failed  to  receive  the 
governor's  signature,  because  it  would  call  for  some  expenditure  of  funds  from 
the  State  department  of  agriculture.  Two  years  ago  the  same  bill  passed 
the  assembly,  hut  it  failed  in  the  Senate  because  the  chairman  of  the  committee 
to  which  it  was  referred  was  opposed  to  it,  and  his  objection  to  it  was  that  he 
did  not  believe  it  was  wise  to  duplicate  the  public  school  system  of  New  York 
State  by  any  special  system  of  education.  Last  year  it  was  proposed  to 
reintroduce  this  bill,  but  it  was  finally  decided  to  let  it  rest  until  the  college 
of  agriculture  matter  was  settled. 

We  have  at  Cornell  University  a  winter  course  of  about  11  weeks.  I  think 
this  winter  we  shall  have  about  200  students;  I  should  like  to  have  2,000. 
Yet,  I  do  not  believe  in  the  winter  course  as  an  integral  part  of  the  college  or 
university  work. 

I  have  looked  upon  the  winter  courses  in  the  university  as  a  temporary  expe- 
dient, since  there  are  no  other  institutions  that  can  supply  the  demand  for  the 
kind  of  instruction  that  the  winter  courses  give.     If  there  were  secondary  or 


86 

Intern  -  hools  that  coald  give  this  instractlon,  tbe  demand  would  n 

anon  the  colleges  and  universities.  Whether  such  institutions  will  ever 
nrise  is  n  question  concerning  which  I  scarcely  wish  to  prophesy.  If  they  do 
rise,  then  the  colleges  and  universities  must  continue  to  supply  the  demand 
for  tbe  kind  i  f  instrnction  that  is  given  in  the  various  winter-course  enter- 
prises, it  is  probable  that  there  must  always  be  an  adjunct  institution  to  the 
colleges  and  universities  in  which  such  instruction  can  be  given. 

I  am  i:i  sympathy  with  the  movement  :       -  1  agricultural  high  schools. 

However,  I  think  that  the  first  desideratum  is  to  have  the  common  schools  as 
they  dow  exist  open  to  agriculture  on  equal  terms  with  other  subjects.  This 
will  give  agriculture  opportunity  and  will  not  debar  it  from  the  privilege 
common  school  development  It  will  recognize  it  as  a  scholarship  study,  not 
merely  as  a  technical  or  occupational  subject  Whether  the  common  schools, 
even  when  they  are  open  to  agricultural  work,  will  satisfy  the  needs  of  the 
rural  communities  only  the  future  can  tell  :  if  they  do  not.  then  in  the  natural 
course  of  events  special  schools  will  develop  here  and  there  to  satisfy  the  de- 
mand. I  do  not  like  to  think  of  establishing  a  duplicate  system  of  public  schools 
<  ut-of-hand  which  would  seem  to^ antagonize  or  at  least  parallel  the  existing 
schools:  and  it  would  tend  t<»  set  agricultural  instruction  off  by  itself  and  to 
make  it  only  a  class  subject.  Of  course  there  are  many  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  introducing  agriculture  into  the  schools  as  they  now  exist,  but  it  is  funda- 
mentally correct  t-»  open  the  scl*  "Is  to  the  subject.  Of  course  the  work  would 
need  to  be  elective,  at  least  in  most  cases.  It  is  always  objected  that  the 
schools  are  now  full  and  that  a  new  subject  can  not  be  introduced.  This  of 
course  is  temporarily  true.  The  difficulty  is  that  we  are  trying  to  introduce 
the  new  and  modern  subjects  while  at  the  same  time  trying  to  hold  to  the  old 
curriculum.  In  time  the  whole  poiut  of  view  of  the  common  schools  will  be 
radically  changed  and  the  school  will  be  a  natural  product  of  its  environment. 
The  very  fact  that  the  new  and  relevant  subjects  are  being  introduced  is  proof 
enough  that  this  evolution  is  slowly  coming  about. 

1  believe  we  have  the  legal  right  to  use  the  proceeds  of  the  land-grant  fund 
for  elementary  instruction  in  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts,  but  I  believe  we 
shall  find  it  wiser  policy  to  utilize  State  funds  and  forces  already  in  existence 
tor  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  these  educational  and  extension  courses  than 
to  use  the  Federal  fund. 

The  experience  of  Cornell  University  is  that  it  is  of  great  advantage  to 
have  uniform  entrance  requirements  for  all  departments  of  the  university, 
and  the  attendance  of  students  has  increased  greatly  notwithstanding  the 
strict  enforcement  of  such  requirements.  Uniform  entrance  requirements  in 
institutions  in  which  the  college  of  agriculture  is  combined  with  the  general 
university  is  essential  to  the  dignity  and  success  of  agricultural  work. 

E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois.  I  should  very  much  dislike  to  hear  this  d  -  nss 
closed  without  some  reference  to  the  movement  that  is  on  foot  all  over  the 
country,  namely:  The  consolidation  of  the  primary  schools.  When  you  speak 
of  transporting  children  to  central  schools,  the  objection  is  raised  .that  hordes 
can  not  travel  the  roads.  Everybody  knows,  however,  that  more  hordes  are 
now  used  in  transporting  the  children  and  more  miles  are  traveled  than  would 
be  necessary  to  send  them  all  to  central  schools.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  we 
will  not  always  have  to  go  on  with  the  little  primary  schools,  four  or  five 
children  and  one  teacher. 

I..  II.  Bailey.  I  think  the  rural  school,  as  we  ordinarily  know  it  to-day.  is 
bound  to  pass  away.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  one  of  the  most  inefficient  units  in 
our  body  pollti  untry  mill  has  passed  away.     It  can  not  compere  with 

the  mills  in  the  city.     In  the  rural  school  the  teacher  is  teaching  her  firs 


87 

second  term  as  a  role,  temporarily  maintaining  herself  until  Bhe  can  do  some- 
thing  else.  The  teacher  must  teach  everything,  from  the  alphabet  to  physi- 
ology, from  physics  to  grammar.  Our  extension  work  was  intended  to  reach 
first  the  country  school,  but  the  more  we  pushed  the  work  the  more  evident  it 
became  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  reach  the  country  school.  We  think  the 
best  that  can  he  done  is  to  introduce  the  subjects  in  the  village  and  hamlet 
schools,  and  where  they  have  two  or  three  or  four  or  five  teachers,  so  that  one 
teacher  can  take  all  of  the  natural-history  subjects  and  another  all  of  the 
mathematics,  expecting  it  to  work  outward  from  these  centers.  Centralization 
is  going  on  in  New  York  State  in  three  or  four  directions. 

A.  ('.  Scott,  of  Oklahoma.  It  has  been  said  here  that  the  existing  educational 
provisions  of  the  country  community  should  he  exhausted  before  the  college 
should  seek  to  duplicate  any  of  that  instruction.  The  question  naturally  arises. 
What  is  meant  by  the  educational  provisions  of  the  country  community V  A 
question  of  extreme  importance  in  the  West  is.  What  shall  he  done  with  the 
young  men  of  IS  or  10  years  of  age  who  have  gone  through  the  common  schools 
but  not  through  the  high  schools,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  do  not  want  to  go  to 
the  high  schools?  Shall  a  catch-all  be  prepared  for  them?  Shall  a  preparatory 
department  be  provided  for  them  where  they  can  say  they  are  going  to  college? 
That  question  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  concern  in  the  Oklahoma  college,  and 
three  years  ago  we  provided  a  preparatory  department.  Two  years  ago  we 
became  ashamed  of  the  department  and  dropped  it,  but  we  substituted  a  twenty- 
weeks'  course  in  the  subject  of  agriculture.  We  found  that  it  was  very  largely 
the  young  men  and  women  who  went  into  the  preparatory  department  and  did 
no  advanced  scientific  work  in  agriculture  who  went  back  to  the  farm.  For  that 
reason  we  established  the  short  courses.  It  seems  to  me  it  will  be  a  very  long 
time  before  we  get  agriculture  established  in  the  common  schools  of  the,  country. 
What  are  we  going  to  do  in  the  meantime?  I  believe  the  present  condition 
ought  to  be  met  by  some  such  scheme  as  I  have  suggested,  or  the  Minnesota 
scheme.  We  are  also  working  in  our  territory  on  a  scheme  by  which  optional 
courses  shall  be  given  in  the  high  school  leading  to  the  university. 

R.  II.  Jesse.  I  believe  that  so  long  as  the  colleges  of  agriculture  are  main- 
taining their  right  to  use  Federal  money  for  secondary  education,  so  long  as 
they  are  declaring  that  it  is  good  policy  to  do  so,  they  will  continue  their  sec- 
ondary schools,  and  will  not  connect  with  the  secondary  school  systems  of  their 
States.  For  fifty  years  the  University  of  Missouri  maintained  a  preparatory 
department.  When  I  came  there  as  president,  there  were  not  six  good  public 
or  private  secondary  schools  in  the  Commonwealth,  and  I  was  assured  that  they 
could  not  be  built  up.  Yet  in  the  space  of  twelve  years  we  have  increased  the 
good  high  schools  in  Missouri  from  5  to  125.  Missouri  ought  to  have  at  least 
250  high  schools.  But  the  rate  of  growth  has  been  magnificent  in  twelve  years. 
So  long  as  you  hold  on  to  this  preparatory  work  and  these  temporary  expe- 
dients you  are  not  going  to  catch  hold  of  the  public  school  system.  I  think 
the  one  vital  thing  is  that  the  colleges  of  agriculture,  as  well  as  the  colleges 
of  liberal  arts,  should  identify  themselves  absolutely  with  the  public  school 
systems  of  their  States.  Meanwhile.  I  am  not  disposed  to  criticise  those  who 
employ  some  temporary  expedients,  provided  they  have  started  in  the  right 
direction  and  are  going  in  that  way  as  fast  as  they  can. 

E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington.  One  of  the  most  serious  difficulties  which  we 
face  is  the  fact  that  under  the  ideals  of  the  existing  four  years'  high  school  the 
student  who  has  taken  the  eight  years  of  elementary  grade  and  four  years  of 
high  school  is  led  away  from  the  ideals  represented  by  the  land-grant  colleges,, 
and  in  most  instances,  unless  perhaps,  as  may  be  true  in  Missouri,  a  very  strong 
influence  proceeding  from  the  university  or  from  some  source  secures  a  dif- 


88 

ferent  result,  be  will  be  led  away  from  the  ideals  represented  by  the  education 
for  which  we  stand.  That  Is  a  fact  and  condition  which  we  have  to  face,  and 
is  one  of  the  reasonable  and  legitimate  excuses  for  the  maintenance  of  sec- 
ondary schools,  in  which  the  ideal  is  not  exclusively  the  old  ideal,  but  which 
includes  something  of  industrial  education.  In  our  own  State  we  have  the  two 
institutions,  the  university  and  the  agricultural  college.  The  requirement  for 
admission  to  the  freshman  class  in  the  agricultural  college  is  a  high  school 
course  or  its  equivalent,  which  may  be  gained  in  the  elementary  school.  I 
believe  the  end  is  precisely  what  President  Jesse  says,  but  the  secondary  school 
must  be  permeated  with  the  ideal  for  which  the  land-grant  colleges  now  stand, 
and  it  will  be  years  before  we  learn  not  to  resort  to  such  expedients  as  have  been 
mentioned  here. 

II.  C.  White,  of  Georgia.  I  should  like  to  say  that  from  our  experience  in 
Georgia  we  are  able  to  confirm  the  theory  of  President  Jesse  to  the  effect  that 
a  determination  on  the  part  of  the  college  to  aid  the  secondary  schools  in  raising 
their  standards  is  effective.  Of  course  we  suffered,  just  as  you  suffer  else- 
where in  the  country,  with  a  lack  of  studies  in  the  secondary  school  which  are 
immediately  related  to  the  technical  courses  in  agriculture.  But  in  what  may 
be  called  the  fundamental  underlying  studies,  mathematics,  for  example.  English 
in  its  grammatic  parts,  and  some  language  other  than  English,  either  classical 
or  modern,  we  find  that  by  keeping  a  little  ahead  of  the  high  schools  and  encour- 
aging them  to  raise  their  curricula  we  can  finally  bring  the  men  who  pass  from 
the  high  schools  to  a  very  satisfactory  state  of  attainment  for  entering  our  col- 
lege courses.  I  may  be  radical,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  before  a  mau  should 
enter  college  it  is  not  so  necessary  that  he  should  have  studied  so  many  things 
as  that  he  should  have  studied  some  things  sufficiently  thoroughly  to  have 
attained  the  mental  maturity  which  will  fit  him  for  the  instruction  of  the  col- 
lege. Now.  if  we  are  going  to  insist  that  before  a  man  shall  enter  a  course  in 
agriculture  he  shall  have  had  elementary  and  secondary  instruction  in  agricul- 
ture, it  will  be  a  long  time  before  the  schools  are  equipped  to  meet  our  require- 
ments. In  Georgia  we  have  a  four-year  course  in  agriculture,  the  entrance 
requirements  of  the  college  of  agriculture  being  identical  with  those  of  the  col- 
lege of  liberal  arts.  They  are  not  as  high  as  we  should  like  to  see  them,  but 
they  are  as  high  as  we  think  the  community  will  stand ;  we  try  to  raise  it  from 
year  to  year  and  bring  the  schools  up  to  the  level.  In  our  school  of  agriculture, 
which  is  one  of  the  departments  of  the  college  of  agriculture,  we  have  courses 
in  agronomy,  in  horticulture,  and  animal  husbandry.  There  is  no  reason  why  a 
young  fellow  who  has  been  in  the  common  schools,  has  reached  mature  years, 
.and  has  had  the  proper  sort  of  mental  discipline,  can  not  enter  these  courses. 

In  high  schools  they  teach  a  certain  amount  of  chemistry  and  physics,  but 
the  teaching  which  they  get  in  the  high  school  is  not  necessarily  of  the  kind  that 
will  add  to  the  college  course.  Seventy-five  per  cent  of  those  that  go  to  high 
♦school  never  go  to  college.  There  is  no  need  for  a  man  in  the  high  school,  who 
is  to  go  to  college,  to  have  studied  chemistry  at  all.  provided  he  has  studied 
something  else  to  such  a  degree  and  in  such  manner  as  will  fit  him  for  the  work 
in  chemistry  when  he  undertakes  it.     The  same  in  agriculture  and  horticulture. 

Dean  Henry  asks  :  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  those  men  who  are  not 
going  to  enter  the  regular  college  courses? "  We  say  there  is  a  great  deal 
here  in  these  technical  courses  that  is  valuable  to  you.  But  we  are  trying  to 
guard  against  what  we  consider  a  fundamental  error,  namely,  to  set  up  such  a 
course  by  itself  and  hold  it  up  as  the  equivalent  of  a  full  college  course. 

K.  C.  Babcock,  of  Arizona.  We  are  colleges  of  mechanic  arts  as  well  as  of 
.agriculture,  and.  from  my  point  of  view,  in  Arizona  the  problem  is  just  as 
imperative  on  the  side  of  mechanic  arts  as  it  is  on  that  of  agrculture.     Now, 


89 

the  problem  is:  is  it  legitimate  for  the  Territory  thai  makes  high  demand  upon 
the  college   for  education   In   mechanic  arts   to  devote   part   of   its   funds   to 

instruction  in  the  elements  of  mechanic  arts?  There  is  not  in  Arizona,  and  prob- 
ably net  in  the  Other  three  Territories,  a  single  institution  thai  gives  good  sec- 
ondary manual-training  Instruction.     Yet  there  Is  greal  need  of  manual  training 

there.  The  pressure  for  instruction  in  the  mechanic  arts,  mining,  civil  and 
mechanical  engineering,  is  almost  irresistible  in  Arizona,  and  we  are  obliged  to 
prepare  for  the  entrance  into  the  courses  In  mechanic  arts  quite  as  much  as  for 
the  agricultural  courses. 

El  Davenport.  It  seems  to  he  assumed  regarding  Instruction  in  agriculture 
that  it  is  a  four-year  course  or  a  two-year  course  or  a  short  course  or  nothing. 
In  my  opinion  the  unit  is  too  large.  The  farm  hoy  waids  instruction  in  a 
particular  subject:  he  is  not  thinking  much  about  graduating,  and  when  you 
meet  him  at  the  door  the  first  day  with  the  proposition  that  he  must  choose 
either  a  four-year  course  or  two-year  course  or  short  course  be  is  likely  to  take 
the  line  of  least  resistance.  A  large  proportion  of  the  work  of  our  universities 
and  colleges  has  to  do  primarily  with  students  who  do  not  graduate.  For  every 
student  who  graduates  about  three  or  four  do  not.  The  influence  of  the  college 
and  university  system  of  this  country  is  not  exerted  solely  through  its  grad- 
uates. It  is  through  the  great  mass  of  students,  many  of  whom  do  not  complete 
the  regular  courses.  Let  us  stop  talking  about  four-year  courses,  therefore, 
and  fix  the  eye  on  the  student.  Let  him  take  one  or  two  or  three  years.  Let 
him  get  those  things  he  wants,  without  regard  to  whether  he  graduates  or  not. 

Now.  there  is  much  elementary  instruction  in  hitching  up  the  team,  in  plow- 
ing the  field  and  getting  in  the  crop,  in  feeding  the  pigs  and  getting  the  steers 
to  market,  and  the  average  student  of  18  coming  to  us  from  the  farm  is  often 
better  prepared  for  college  than  the  average  high  school  graduate.  It  is  an  obli- 
gation of  these  colleges  to  make  a  system  of  secondary  education  for  the  country 
people.  In  Illinois  we  simply  cut  across  all  precedent  and  all  lines  of  responsibil- 
ity by  saying  to  the  boys  on  the  farm,  "Come  to  the  university  and  choose  the  sub- 
jects you  wish  to  study.  These  are  the  things  we  undertake  to  teach  in  agri- 
culture, about  80  of  them  :  if  you  want  any  of  them,  go  ahead.  If  you  can  not 
do  business  here  you  will  go  home.  But  if  you  take  those  subjects  you  must 
take  certain  other  subjects  with  them,  and  one  of  them  is  English.  And  if  you 
stay  long  you  will  take  some  science,  because  certain  subjects  require  science." 
Three-fourths  of  the  boys  that  come  from  the  farm  have  not  had  much  educa- 
tion, but  they  do  well  in  the  sciences.  We  had  20  students  six  years  ago,  and 
now  we  have  340,  taken  just  as  they  come.  One-half  of  the  work  they  do  is 
done  in  other  departments  of  the  university  than  that  of  agriculture — civil  en- 
gineering, English  language,  botany,  history,  chemistry.  (Jreek  and  Latin,  if 
they  want  it — and  the  percentage  of  failure  on  the  part  of  our  students  is  below 
the  average  of  the  university;  the  percentage  of  graduation  as  high.  The 
situation  is  much  the  same  in  all  institutions.  Three-fourths  of  the  students 
in  all  lines  never  graduate. 

We  have  a  splendid  preparation  of  a  scholastic  order  for  the  city  people,  but 
we  have  no  such  preparation  for  the  country  people.  Let  us  have  a  little  better 
preparatory  course  for  the  farmer,  and  stop  talking  about  four-year  courses 
and  about  conditions  for  admissions,  but  bring  the  student  to  the  college  and  let 
him  take  up  at  once  the  subject  he  wishes  to  study.  We  are  setting  up  too  high 
a  standard  for  agricultural  courses  when  we  demand  that  if  students  will  not 
take  the  four-year  course  therefore  they  must  take  something  peculiar  and  in- 
ferior. If  you  confront  them  with  such  conditions  you  will  drive  them  out  of 
the  agricultural  courses.  It  is  not  done  in  other  lines ;  why  do  it  in  agricul- 
ture?    Identify   the  boy   with   his   subject.     We   have   seniors,   juniors,   sopho- 


90 

mores,  freshmen,  specials,  all  together  in  the  same  class.  You  may  protest 
against  that,  but  bear  In  mind  these  boys  are  studying  Shorthorn  cattle  or  some 
other  technical  subject.  The  special  student  has  a  herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle 
at  home,  perhaps,  and  he  is  as  able  to  study  Shorthorns  as  the  senior,  and 
sometimes  better.  They  can  meet  on  a  common  ground  in  the  class  room. 
Give  them  a  chance  at  election  ;  do  not  drive  them  into  something  they  know- 
nothing  about.  If  a  student  comes  to  us  at  18  years  of  age  and  is  deficient  in 
English,  i.  e.,  has  less  than  42  credits,  or  three  and  one-half  years  of  high 
school  work,  he  must  go  to  the  preparatory  school  and  take  English.  He 
may  choose  his  other  subjects.  If  he  is  16*  years  old  he  must  spend  half  his 
time  in  the  preparatory  school,  and  the  other  half  may  be  given  to  other  sub- 
jects, allowing  him  to  elect  any  subjects  he  is  able  to  carry.  The  fact  is  we 
have  very  few  students  under  18.  Most  of  our  students  are  18  or  over.  A 
great  many  of  them  are  between  18  and  21.  At  about  17  or  18  or  19  boys 
begin  to  think  they  are  too  old  to  go  to  high  school,  and  if  you  do  not  let  them 
into  the  college  you  will  never  get  them.  If  the  boy  is  18  years  old  we  shut 
our  eyes  to  all  deficiencies  except  English. 

He  can  graduate  here  without  mathematics,  but  he  must  take  two  years  of 
foreign  language,  because  the  foreign  language,  we  think,  is  nearer  to  agri- 
culture than  is  mathematics.  If  we  had  a  department  of  agricultural  eco- 
nomics— which  we  hope  to  have — the  student  in  that  coarse  would  be  required 
to  have  mathematics,  or  if  he  elects  subjects  requiring  mathematics  he  must 
take  mathematics  now. 

A.  Scott,  of  New  Jersey.  I  sincerely  hope  that  it  will  not  go  down  on  the 
records  that  the  assumption  that  Professor  Davenport  has  made  is  generally  true. 
That  all  our  institutions  are  like  his  in  all  particulars,  excellent  and  otherwise, 
will  not  be  accepted  as  the  consensus  of  this  body,  because  I  am  quite  sure  that 
some  things  he  has  said  of  his  institution  are  not  true  of  mine.  We  require  of 
every  boy  who  comes  to  college  that  he  shall  know  algebra,  plane  geometry,  and 
solid  geometry  at  least,  and  must  pass  examination  in  these  subjects.  I  should 
not  like  to  have  it  said  that  three-fourths  of  those  who  go  to  our  college  are  not 
graduated,  for  it  is  not  true.  More  than  half  are  graduated,  although  many  fall 
by  the  way  for  one  reason  or  another.  This  is  a  local  issue.  It  is  becoming  more 
and  more  apparent  every  year  that  we  must  recognize  that  differences  of  condi- 
tions that  are  fundamental  have  to  be  taken  into  account.  These  are  schools 
of  agriculture,  and.  as  my  friend  from  Arizona  has  said,  of  mechanic  arts.  They 
were  founded  for  training  in  the  sciences  applied  to  industrial  pursuits,  for  the 
poor  boy  of  the  city  as  well  as  for  the  poor  boy  of  the  farm.  We  recognize  in 
New  Jersey  the  importance  of  agriculture.  It  is  second  to  none,  but  there  are 
others  that  should  stand  on  a  parity  with  it.  We  have  laid  great  stress  on  agri- 
culture. In  New  Jersey,  for  example,  there  is  a  vast  field  for  the  civil  engineer 
and  the  mechanical  engineer,  and  we  must  make  adequate  provision  for  instruc- 
tion in  these  and  similar  lines. 

This  is,  moreover,  a  matter  of  mental  training  rather  than  of  special  subjects. 
What  we  want  of  the  boy  is  power,  not  special  training. 

W.  O.  Thompson.  To  recur  to  the  original  paper  that  brought  out  this  dis- 
cussion, the  question  first  was  the  legal  right  to  teach  the  elements  of  this  sub- 
ject. I  hope  the  paper  made  it  clear  that  the  elementary  teaching  was  not 
confined  to  schools  below  the  college,  but  that  in  our  colleges  there  was  elemen- 
tary instruction  in  many  subjects,  and  that  the  definition  in  the  statute  or  else- 
where could  not  limit  the  instruction,  if  it  insisted  on  subjects  rather  than 
method.  I  think  we  also  realize  from  the  discussion  that  we  are  confronted 
with  a  condition  to  which  these  colleges  must  address  themselves.  There  has 
been  agreement  that  we  are  all  trying  to  meet  that  condition,  and  there  has  been 


91 

some  disagreement  ns  t<»  bow  it  should  be  met.  I  may  be  permitted  to  Bay  that 
in  the  Institution  which  I  serve  the  entrance  requirements  are  rigidly  enforced. 
I  do  not  want  the  Impression  to  be  lefl  In  this  meeting  tii.it  any  Institution  in 
this  circle  <»i"  colleges  h;is  fallen  to  the  low  depth  <>f  its  privileges  under  the  law, 
but  that  all  are  trying  to  rise  to  the  highest  of  their  privileges  under  the  statute 
1  think  no  one  of  ns  would  ever  regard  it  as  possible  for  ns  to  be  content 
with  the  perpetual  condition  <>f  doing  what  we  do  not  desire  to  do  but  what  we 
think  ought  to  be  done  as  a  temporary  measure.  It  may  be  that  for  five  years 
or  it  may  be  that  for  live  hundred  years  there  will  ho  a  large  class  of  young  men 
who  may  be  interested  in  aLrrienlture  by  one  method  that  never  WOUld  he  inter- 
ested in  it  by  another  method  however  perfect  theoretically.  So  far  as  peda- 
gogical theory  of  instruction  in  agriculture  is  concerned,  I  think  these  colleges 
must  meet  the  conditions,  but  I  think  none  of  them  should  make  an  apology  for 
a  low  standard  of  entrance. 

On  motion,  the  section  adjourned  until  2  p.  m.  next  day. 

Afternoon  Session,  Wednesday,  November  2,  1004. 

The  section  was  called  to  order  at  2  p.  m.  by  Chairman  W.  E.  Stone. 
Military  I  nstbuction. 

The  following  paper  by  M.  II.  Buckham,  of  Vermont,  on  "The  intent  and 
purpose  of  the  Morrill  Act  with  regard  to  military  instruction,"  was  read  by 
G.  E.  Fellows,  of  Maine,  in  the  absence  of  the  author: 

The  bill  for  the  endowment  of  colleges  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts, 
which  passed  both  Houses  in  April,  185S,  and  was  vetoed  by  President  Buch- 
anan, did  not  contain  the  provision  for  instruction  in  military  tactics  incorpo- 
rated into  the  later  bill.  In  a  speech  by  Mr.  Morrill  on  April  20,  1858,  setting 
forth  at  great  length  the  objects  and  provisions  of  this  first  bill,  no  allusion  was 
made  to  military  instruction,  nor  was  there  any  reference  to  it  in  the  course  of 
the  debate.  The  bill  to  which  the  present  colleges  owe  their  existence  was 
introduced,  debated,  and  passed  in  the  summer  of  1802,  and  bears  the  significant 
date  July  2,  18G2,  The  day  following  the  last  of  the  seven  days  of  McClellan's 
Peninsular  campaign.  In  the  course  of  a  speech  in  the  House  explaining  and 
advocating  the  measure.  Mr,  Morrill  put  considerable  emphasis  on  the  military 
feature  of  the  education  provided  for.  I  quote  passages  from  different  parts 
of  his  speech : 

"  If  this  measure  had  been  instituted  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  the  absence 
of  all  military  schooling  at  the  outset  of  the  present  rehellion  would  have  been 
less  deplorable  in  the  Northern  States.  The  young  men  might  have  had  more  of 
fitness  for  their  sphere  of  duties,  whether  on  the  farm,  in  the  workshop,  or  on 
the  battlefield.    *     *     * 

"Something  of  military  instruction  has  been  incorporated  in  the  bill  in  cou- 
sequence  of  the  new  conviction  of  its  necessity  forced  upon  the  attention  of  the 
loyal  States  by  the  history  of  the  past  year.  A  total  unpreparedness  presents 
too  many  temptations,  even  to  a  foe  otherwise  weak.  The  national  school  at 
West  Point  may  suffice  for  the  Regular  Army  in  ordinary  years  of  peace,  but  it 
is  wholly  inadequate  when  a  large  army' is  to  be  suddenly  put  into  service.  If 
we  ever  expect  to  reduce  the  Army  to  its  old  dimension  and  again  rely  on  the 
volunteer  system  for  defense,  each  State  must  have  the  means  within  itself  to 
organize  and  officer  its  own  force.  With  such  a  system  as  that  here  offered — 
nurseries  in  every  State — a  sufficient  force  would  at  all  times  be  ready  to  support 
the  cause  of  the  nation  and  secure  that  wholesome  respect  which  belongs  to  a. 
people  whose  power  is  always  equal  to  its  pretensions.  In  a  free  government 
we  have  proved,  notwithstanding  some  '  in  time  of  temptation  fall  away.'  that 
patriotism  is  spontaneous,  but  doubtless  many  valuable  lives  would  have  been 
saved  in  the  progress  of  this  plague-spotted  rebellion  had  we  not  so  long 
assumed  that  military  discipline  was  also  spontaneous.  If  ever  again  our 
legions  are  summoned  to  the  field,  let  us  show  that  we  are  not  wholly  unpre- 
pared.    These  colleges  founded  in  every   State  will     *     *     :::     to  some  extent 


92 

guard  against  the  sheer  Ignorance  of  all  military  art  which  shrouded  the  coun- 
try, and  especially  the  North,  at  the  time  when  the  tocsin  of  war  sounded  at 
Fort  Sumter." 

These  words  clearly  explain  the  object  which  Mr.  Morrill  had  in  view  in 
making  provision  for  instruction  in  military  tactics  in  the  colleges  of  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts. 

The  presence  of  a  great  conflict,  which  found  the  nation  unprepared  to  meet 
either  internal  or  external  enemies,  awakened  public  opinion  to  a  scnsr  of 
danger — a  danger  not  only  in  the  past,  hut  ever  present:  a  danger  which  could 
not  he  met  by  an  extemporized  army,  or  a  levy  en  masse,  hut  only  by  a  provision 
which  should  he  of  the  nature  of  an  institution,  not  subject  to  temporary  change 
of  feeling,  not  liable  to  failure  from  neglect  or  forgetfulness.  To  statesmen 
looking  beyond  existing  tumults  the  Republic  meant  peace,  but  they  were  then 
for  the  first  time  learning  that  peace  exists  only  in  those  nations  that  know  how 
to  maintain  peace.  To  keep  up  a  large  standing  army  was  contrary  to  the 
genius  of  American  liberty  and  to  all  national  traditions.  But  here  was  an 
opportunity  to  do  something  toward  meeting  this  ever-present  danger  of  "  unpre- 
paredness  "  by  distributing  throughout  peace-loving  and  industrial  communities 
in  every  State  a  certain  amount  of  "  military  schooling."  as  Mr.  Morrill  calls  it, 
and  the  result  of  such  schooling  in  a  goodly  number  of  men,  highly  trained  in 
other  respects,  with  a  modicum,  more  or  less,  as  the  plan  should  work  out,  of 
military  training  superadded. 

It  may  be  pertinent  to  note  that.  when,  twenty-eight  years  after  the  passage 
of  the  bill,  in  the  "piping  times  of  peace,"  Mr.  Morrill  again  asked  Congress  to 
consider  the  needs  and  claims  of  the  education  offered  in  the  colleges  of  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts  and  to  increase  their  scope  and  their  efficiency 
by  an  increased  endowment,  no  further  provision  was  made  for.  and  no  mention 
was  made  of,  military  instruction. 

Passing  now  from  consideration  of  the  motives  and  utterances  of  the  founder 
of  the  colleges  to  the  language  of  the  organic  act,  we  find  that  the  intent  and 
purpose  of  the  act  as  regards  military  instruction  gets  rather  scant  expression. 
It  is  all  embraced  in  three  words — "including  military  tactics" — "one  college 
where  the  leading  object  shall  be.  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical 
studies,  and  including  military  tactics,  to  teach,  etc."  That  constitutes  the 
entire  mandate  on  the  subject.  It  is  evident  that  the  intent  of  the  act  was  not 
to  establish  military  institutions — that  is,  institutions  in  which  the  leading 
object  is  to  teach  the  military  art.  Classical  and  other  scientific  studies  are  not 
to  be  excluded,  and  military  tactics  are  to  be  included,  but  the  leading  object 
is  to  teach  branches  of  learning  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts. 
Evidently  there  were  not  to  be  military  academies  after  the  manner  of  West 
Point  in  all  the  States,  nor  feeble  imitations  of  West  Point. 

If  some  institutions  or  some  army  officers  detailed  as  military  instructors  in 
the  colleges  have  desired  to  make  the  military  the  leading  feature,  to  insist  on 
army  ideas  and  methods  in  the  government  of  the  institutions,  and  to  subordi- 
nate practically  the  other  elements  to  the  military,  this  has  been  without  warrant 
from  the  ordaining  act.  If  this  had  been  the  intent  and  purpose  of  the  founder 
and  of  the  act  of  Congress,  they  would  have  declared  military  training  to  be 
the  leading  object,  whereas  it  is  not  included  among  the  leading  objects. 

What  is  meant  by  the  term  "  military  tactics,"  which  the  act  says  are  to  be 
included  in  the  branches  taught  in  the  colleges?  Obviously  the  word  "tactics" 
is  used  in  a  general  and  popular,  not  in  a  technical  sense.  "  Military  tactics  " 
is  a  broad  and  elastic  term,  including  much  that  would  not  come  within  a  strict 
definition.  This  breadth  and  comprehensiveness,  in  distinction  from  a  rigid 
prescription  of  specific  things  to  be  done,  is  characteristic  of  the  whole  act.  It 
recognizes  the  great  diversity  of  conditions  existing  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  now  that  it  is  operative  in  forty-five  different  States,  this  elasticity 
and  adaptability  to  conditions  appears  still  more  admirable.  It  is  matter  for 
congratulation  that  we  have  in  this  grand  scheme  for  national  education,  not  a 
thoroughly  organized,  bureaucratic  system  like  that  which  fits  in  well  with  the 
genius  of  the  French  people,  but  a  simple  outline,  a  broad,  free,  suggestive 
sketch  plan,  of  the  general  objects  to  be  sought,  leaving  to  the  several  localities, 
and  specifically  to  the  legislatures  of  the  several  States,  to  fill  in  the  details  as 
their  special  needs  and  interests  may  prescribe.  As  in  the  case  of  all  other 
branches  of  learning,  so  in  case  of  the  military  science  and  art,  the  institutions 
are  left  free  to  work  out  their  own  problems  in  their  own  way,  provided  that 
way  comes  fairly  within  the  express  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress.  As  we 
have  seen,  the  incorporation  of  military  instruction  into  the  curriculum  of  the 


93 

colleges  was  Intended  to  moot  one  of  the  great  and  permanent  needs  of  the 
country.  Su<h  instruction  is  mandatory  apoo  the  colleges.  By  the  acceptance 
of  the  grant  with  Its  conditions  this  instruction  has  become  an  obligation,  recog- 
nized as  such  by  the  colleges.  So  much- -that  the  colleges  shall  give  Instruction 
in  military  tactics    is.  so  to  speak,  constitutional,  unalterable,  not  debatable. 

All  else  is  merely  statutory  or  administrative,  subject  to  by-laws,  as  wisdom 
and  good  policy  may  ordain. 

Leaving,  therefore,  large  latitude  to  the  predilections  of  individual  institutions 

for  more  or  less  of  the  military  feature  in  their  curriculum,  what  may  the 
colleges,  in  an  average  way.  be  fairly  expect*  d  to  do  as  their  pari  toward 
supplying  the  country  with  a  soldiery  in  time  of  oeed?  The  organization  of  a 
national  militia  under  Federal  laws  in  all  the  States  has  materially  changed 
the  situation  since  .Mr.  Morrill  pictured  the  nation's  "  unpreparedness "  in  1862. 
When  not  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  militia — as  they  are  in  some  States — the 
college  battalions  represent  the  possibility  of  a  volunteer  corps  which  would  be 
immediately  effective  for  service,  and  the  individual  students  and  graduates 
constitute  a  body  out  of  which  officers,  commissioned  and  noncommissioned, 
could  be  drawn  for  service  in  a  suddenly  enlisted  corps.  It  can  not  be  expected 
of  the  colleges  that  they  turn  out  thoroughly  trained  and  accomplished  otllcers. 
It  takes  four  years  of  military  training  at  West  Point  to  do  that.  To  attempt 
even  something  very  much  below  this  would  take  so  much  of  the  students'  time 
and  energy  from  their  main  studies  that  they  would  go  to  colleges  in  which  this 
burden  was  not  laid  upon  them.  But  the  colleges,  without  sacrifice  to  their 
"  leading  objects."  may  so  train  their  students  in  the  military  art,  that  they, 
or  a  good  number  of  them,  would  make  serviceable  sergeants,  lieutenants,  and 
captains  in  any  force  which  the  State  or  the  nation  might  need  for  keeping  the 
peace  and  enforcing  the  laws.  It  is  of  some  consequence  that  students  should 
make  a  good  appearance  at  inspection  or  on  parade.  It  is  of  much  more  impor- 
tance that  they  should  learn  some  of  the  soldierly  virtues,  prompt  obedience, 
power  of  command,  the  fine  combination  of  self-respect  and  submission,  which) 
make  the  good  citizen  and  the  good  patriot  as  well  as  the  good  soldier. 

But  on  this  part  of  the  subject  I  am  privileged  to  offer  the  expert  evidence  of 
an  able  and  accomplished  officer  of  the  Artillery  Corps  and  a  highly  successful 
professor  of  military  science  and  tactics  in  the  University  of  Vermont,  Copt. 
C.  J.  Bailey,  Fifteenth  Artillery.     Captain  Bailey  says : 

"An  opinion  is  desired  as  to  what  extent  military  instruction  should  be  car- 
ried in  the  land-grant  colleges. 

"Throwing  out  those  institutions  in  which  the  military  feature  predominates 
and  is  advanced  as  an  attraction  for  students,  there  remain  the  colleges  or  uni- 
versities in  which  the  student  is  fitted  for  almost  any  profession  save  the  mili- 
tary. In  these  every  hour  devoted  to  military  work  takes  from  the  student  an 
hour  he  might  advantageously  devote  to  studies  in  the  particular  line  he  has 
chosen.  Should,  then,  this  military  work  be  Hunted  to  three  hours  weekly,  and 
is  even  this  worth  to  the  student  and  to  the  college  the  advantages  gained  by 
both  from  the  endowments  made  by  the  Government? 

'"  When  the  writer  took  up  this  work  in  the  University  of  Vermont  in  1807  he 
was  of  the  opinion  that  the  three  hours  weekly  was  inadequate  for  carrying  out 
the  purposes  desired  by  the  Government  and  he  still  believes  that  it  should  be 
increased,  at  least  during  that  part  of  the  college  year  when  outdoor  work  can 
be  carried  on,  if  this  can  be  done  without  iK>sitive  detriment  to  the  other  work 
of  the  college.  If  this  can  not  be  done,  however,  sufficient  instruction  can  be 
done  in  the  shorter  time  to  render  its  value  incontestable,  particularly  if  the 
instructor  is  allowed  some  latitude  in  dividing  the  students  in  such  a  way  that 
small  bodies  can  be  instructed  in  certain  parts  of  the  work  rather  than  the  whole 
student  body  at  once. 

"  In  colleges  keeping  to  this  minimum  much  that  an  officer  deems  essential  in 
teaching  recruits  must  either  be  omitted  or  the  student  so  interested  that  he  will 
voluntarily  do  the  work  by  himself.  This  refers  particularly  to  the  '  setting  up  ' 
drills  and  calisthenics  now  so  largely  employed  in  the  Army.  The  college  gym- 
nasium may  and  should  take  the  place  of  these,  for  it  is  particularly  necessary 
that  the  student  should  have  them  or  similar  work  both  to  keep  him  in  health, 
and  to  give  him  the  erect  carriage  distinctive  of  the  good  soldier  and  equally 
advantageous  to  the  good  civilian.  But  the  writer  realized  from  his  first  at- 
tempt that  to  make  any  progress  in  the  drills  of  the  company  and  battalion 
nothing  beyond  a  superficial  course  in  these  gymnastics  could  be  attempted. 

"  Both  theoretical  and  practical  military  work  can  be  so  varied  that  the  inter- 
est of  the  majority  of  the  students  is  easily  retained,  the  difficulty  being  to 


94 

decide  on  what  to  omit  where  time  is  so  limited.  Many  students  find  the  whole 
subject  uninteresting  and  even  distasteful,  and  these  are  the  ones  to  whom  much 
attention  should  be  given,  for  they  are  generally  the  ones  most  in  need  of  the 
physical  exercise — for  their  «>\vn  health.  The  athletic  men  are  generally  the 
soldiers  and  take  the  most  interest  in  lectures  and  recitations  as  well  as  in 
the  drills. 

"That  the  work  so  outlined  is  of  value  to  the  Government  can  not  now  he 
questioned.  The  many  valuable  olhoers  now  in  the  Army  whose  only  military 
training  was  obtained  in  the  land-grant  colleges  hear  testimony  to  this. 

■•  Earnest  and  faithful  work  on  the  part  of  the  instructor,  with  the  cooperation 
and  support  of  the  faculty,  aided  by  the  natural  liking  of  many  students  for  the 
military,  can  not  fail  to  render  the  course  successful  and  give  the  Government  a 
fair  interest  on  its  investment — even  with  hut  three  hours  weekly  for  each 
student  The  more  this  time  can  he  increased  the  hotter  for  the  Government 
and.  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  for  the  physical  and  mental  welfare  of  the 
student  and  the  ultimate  good  of  the  college." 

Coming  now  to  the  second  part  of  the  question  proposed,  namely,  the  relation 
of  the  colleges  to  the  War  Department,  there  are  two  attitudes  which  the 
Department  may  take  with  reference  to  military  instruction  in  the  colleges. 
The  one  view  is  that  the  Government  has  bestowed  large  endowments  on  these 
colleges,  and  has  a  right  to  demand  in  return  special  military  service  which 
men  educated  in  these  colleges  can  render,  and  to  prescribe  the  methods  of  the 
training  which  fits  them  for  that  service.  To  this  view  no  objection  can  he 
taken  if  it  is  not  in  practice  carried  so  far  as  to  exact  of  the  students  an  amount 
of  effort  which  would  impair  their  efficiency  in  their  chosen  field  of  study,  and 
so  drive  them  into  other  institutions  and  thus  defeat  its  own  intent.  It  is 
natural  also  aud  honorable  in  the  military  authorities  at  Washington  that  they 
should  seek  to  prescribe  a  standard  of  instruction  and  discipline  which  bears 
some  comparison  with  that  splendid  training  at  West  Point  which  gives  dignity 
and  prestige  to  an  officer  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  or  at  least  that 
their  point  of  view  and  their  estimate  of  military  education  should  be  largely 
under  such  influence.  Then  there  arises  a  difference  of  judgment  between  the 
Department  and  the  colleges  as  to  how  much  may  be  insisted  on  in  the  way  of 
military  discipline,  in  which  we  find  the  Department  virtually  saying  to  us. 
with  military  courtesy,  hut  with  military  firmness:  "We  will  not  detail  an 
army  officer  to  conduct  your  military  instruction  unless  we  can  dictate  substan- 
tially the  amount,  the  methods,  and  all  the  conditions  of  such  instruction." 

The  other  view  which  the  Government  might  take  is  not  to  insist  on  military 
training  as  an  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  colleges  and  the  detail  of  an  officer 
as  a  concession  carrying  with  it  a  certain  supervisory  right  over  the  colleges. 
but  to  look  at  the  whole  situation  as  an  opportunity  of  which  both  parties 
should  strive  to  make  the  utmost  for  the  good  of  the  country  at  large. 

Here  is  a  body  consisting  of  many  thousands  of  the  choice  young  men  of  all 
the  States  <  f  the  Union,  as  good  material  as  the  country  or  the  world  affords 
for  making  citizen  soldiers — such-  soldiers  as  the  country  is  likely  to  need — 
and  at  an  expense  to  the  Government  which  is  trifling  compared  with  what 
any  other  method  of  getting  such  soldiers  would  cost.  There  is  a  certain 
amount  of  the  military  spirit — call  it  the  patriot-military  spirit — which  it  is 
desirable  to  cultivate  in  our  youth — not  too  much,  not  the  militarism  of  France 
and  Germany — not  too  little,  not  the  supineness  and  neglect,  inviting  assault, 
of  the  North  before  the  war — but  enough  to  inspire  a  sense  of  security  and 
compel  respect.  Let  the  Government  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  it  has 
to  get  this  moderate  amount  of  military  spirit  diffused  among  the  young  men  of 
the  nation  and.  along  with  it.  the  moderate  amount  of  military  training 
which  will  make  it  practically  effective  in  time  of  need.  This  it  will  best 
accomplish,  not  by  setting  up  a  military  regime  of  its  own  withiu  a  literary 
institution,  not  by  issuing  orders  from  Washington  which  ignore  or  override 
the  policy  and  the  regulations  of  the  colleges,  but  by  cooperating  with  the 
institutions  in  a  patriotic  endeavor  to  make  such  adjustment  of  the  legitimate 
claims  of  the  civil  and  military  departments,  respectively,  that  all  shall  attain 
their  maximum  efficiency.  Passing  over  some  of  the  obvious  considerations 
under  this  head,  we  may  be  permitted  respectfully  to  suggest  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Department : 

(1)  That  less  emphasis  be  placed  on  the  manual  and  technical  branches  of 
military  training,  and  more  upon  the  higher,  the  intellectual,  topics  in  the  mili- 
tary art.  College  students  take  "  military  tactics  "  as  part  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, not  to  fit  them  to  serve  as  enlisted  men.     Introducing  a  cerain  amount  of 


95 

strategy,  the  history  of  campaigns,  fortification,  problems  in  "grand  tactics," 
etc.,  would  bring  the  Instruction  more  within  the  range  of  college  studies. 

(2)  The  Inspectors  sent  to  examine  and  report  on  the  condition  of  the  mill 
tary  departments  In  colleges  Bhould  be  experienced,  broad-minded  men,  <  - ;  i  ]  > .- 1 1  >  1  <  ■> 
of  understanding  the  situation  in  Its  larger  meaning  and  possibilities.  Sonic 
of  the  institutions  have  had  occasion  to  complain  that  young  officers,  from 
inability  to  appreciate  the  difference  between  a  literary  and  a  strictly  military 
institution,  have  done  them  great  injustice  l.y  setting  up  an  Impossible  standard 
of  efficiency  and  severely  commenting  on  alleged  delinquencies.  The  inspector, 
especially  if  continued  in  office  long  enough  to  learn  its  possibilities,  can.  by 
conferring  and   cooperating  with   the  college   authorities,   by   instruction   and 

advice  to  the  cadet  officers,  and  in  many  other  ways,  easily  double  the  efficiency 
of  the  military  Instruction.  The  institution  represented  by  the  writer  of  this 
paper  enjoyed  all  these  benefits  and  others  under  the  inspectorship  of  Col. 
(now  Gen.)  R.  P.  Hughes,  1  .  S.  Army.  A  well-trained  officer,  a  strict  dis- 
ciplinarian, and  a  thoroughly  soldierly  man.  he  interested  himself  to  bring  the 
college  battalion  up  to  the  highest  stat"  of  efficiency  and  to  promote  the  true 
military  spirit  among  the  young  men  of  the  institution.  In  doing  this  he 
gathered  to  meet  him  the  officers  of  the  battalion,  lectured  them,  scolded  them. 
praised  them,  instructed  them,  and  so  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  in  a 
way  at  once  professional  and  human  that  his  visits  were  looked  forward  to 
with  interest  and  remembered  with  pleasure,  and  though  his  reports  sometimes 
scored  us  severely  we  knew  that  they  were  just  and  kindly.  If  the  Govern- 
ment would  always  send  out  inspectors  equally  faithful  to  the  War  Department 
and  equally  helpful  to  the  institutions,  there  would  be  little  cause  for  com- 
plaint on  either  side  and  the  problem  of  efficient  military  training  in  the  col- 
leges would  be  in  a  fair  way  of  satisfactory  solution. 

E.  R.  Nichols,  of  Kansas.  I  am  very  much  in  favor  of  military  drill  from 
every  standpoint,  and  I  believe  it  is  fortunate  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  endowment 
of  these  colleges.  It  seems  to  me  the  management  of  this  military  matter  is 
largely  a  local  affair.  I  have  reference  now  as  to  whether  it  shall  be  one  day 
or  two  days  or  five  days  a  week,  and  whether  it  shall  be  one,  two,  three,  or  four 
years,  whether  it  shall  be  in  the  fall  or  spring  terms  or  how  it  shall  be.  In  our 
•college  we  would  as  soon  have  drill  four  days  in  the  week  as  two,  but  we  would 
dislike  to  have  it  five  days.  It  is  desirable  to  have  one  afternoon  off  in  which 
students  can  have  their  literary  and  athletic  exercises  and  things  of  that  nature. 
It  is  desirable  that  we  have  drill  four  days  and  not  five  days.  I  would  propose 
as  a  possible  solution  of  this  question  that  we  ask  the  War  Department  to  state 
the  maximum  number  of  hours  that  will  be  satisfactory  to  them  for  practice, 
for  theory,  and  for  the  ceremonials,  leaving  each  college  to  apportion  the  time 
through  the  week  as  best  meets  their  conditions.  We  have  tried  various  ways 
of  meeting  the  present  requirements  without  success  at  the  Kansas  Agricultural 
•College.  I  believe,  however,  if  we  would  ask  the  War  Department  to  fix  the 
number  of  hours  for  practice  and  theory  and  the  ceremonials  that  we  can  adjust 
ourselves  to  the  condition  unless  it  is  made  very  difficult. 

C.  C.  Thach.  of  Alabama.  There  are  some  points  that  have  been  covered  in 
the  paper  by  President  Buckham  and  in  the  comments  by  President  Nichols 
that  I  think  should  be  emphasized.  We  have  had  experience  in  military  instruc- 
tion in  our  institution  in  Alabama  since  its  Inception  about  thirty  years  ago.  and 
we  stand.  I  think,  somewhat  on  the  middle  ground  in  that  respect.  I  agree  with 
President  Nichols  that  this  is  a  local  question  very  largely,  and  the  conditions 
vary  widely  in  different  institutions.  It  should  be  left  in  all  its  details  and 
minutiae  to  the  boards  of  control  of  the  several  institutions.  In  our  institution 
we  have  a  quasi  military  organization,  but  much  attention  has  from  the  first 
been  given  to  military  training. 

The  act  of  1862  explicitly  requires  such  training,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  we 
can  comply  with  the  spirit  or  the  letter  of  the  law  without  having  military  in- 
struction of  a  very  definite  and  fixed  amount  and  nature.  Our  experience  bears 
•out  the  statement  by  President  Buckham  that  the  United  States  Government 
23S80— No.  153— or,  M 7 


96 

has  been  greatly  strengthened  by  the  success   in   military   instruction  of  these 
land-grant  colleges. 

We  should  not  lose  sight  of  its  value  as  an  educative  force,  particularly  in  a 
military  way  and  in  patriotism,  hut  another  advantage  is  the  physical  training 
it  gives.  I  believe  it  is  worth  while  to  have  it  for  that  reason.  I  am  a  great 
believer  in  all  forms  of  athletics,  but  only  a  small  percentage  of  the  student 
body  actually  participates  in  athletics  or  even  work  in  the  gymnasium.  Presi- 
denl  Eliot,  of  Harvard,  found  that  out  of  about  3,000  students  only  about  one- 
third  took  active  part  in  athletics.  Military  instruction  furnishes  a  readily 
available  means  of  giving  all  the  students  the  physical  training  they  need.  It 
furnishes  exercise,  not  simply  as  a  gymnastic,  but  exercise  with  the  ulterior  pur- 
pose of  training  the  men  for  something  definite.  We  must  not  minimize  the 
military  feature.  I  believe  it  is  a  question  of  education,  not  only  in  preparing 
a  man  for  military  service  and  in  inculcating  patriotism,  but  I  believe  the  train- 
ing is  in  itself  educative. 

As  regards  the  practical  application  of  this  matter,  I  think  you  will  have  as 
many  views  as  you  have  States.  I  believe  the  question  ought  to  be  approached 
in  a  conciliatory  manner.  Military  men  are  easily  antagonized.  They  want 
men  to  obey  whether  or  not.  Therefore  I  do  not  believe  in  the  extreme  mili- 
tary feature.  But  we  can  approach  the  question  in  an  amicable  spirit.  I 
do  not  believe,  however,  that  the  suggestion  of  the  minimum  amount  of  hours 
will  meet  the  situation.  I  think  two  hours  is  too  small.  We  have  three  now. 
We  used  to  have  five,  and  that  was  undesirable,  but  we  get  along  very  well  with 
three.  We  haven't  had  an  army  officer  in  six  years,  but  during  that  time  we 
have  made  our  quarterly  report,  and  we  get  our  arms.  If  five  hours'  drill  are 
to  be  required  we  are  not  in  a  hurry  to  get  under  the  Government.  We  now 
have  in  charge  a  man  of  our  own  training,  who  knows  the  situation  and  is 
willing  to  adapt  himself  to  conditions.  We  have  two  general  roll  calls  a  day 
and  three  drills.  The  seniors  have  power  to  report  offenses  of  various  kinds. 
We  do  not  find  that  power  abused.  We  excuse  our  athletic  teams,  but  it  does 
not  preclude  them  from  promotion  as  cadet  officers.  Some  of  our  best  cadet 
officers  are  from  the  athletic  team. 

E.  A.  Bryan,  of  Washington.  For  a  thousand  years  or  more  we  and  our  ances- 
tors have  believed  in  the  citizen  soldiery.  We  have  proceeded  on  the  theory 
that  our  national  defense  is  to  be  intrusted  chiefly  to  the  citizen  soldier.  Along 
about  the  time  of  the  civil  war  we  woke  up  to  the  fact  that  the  National  Guard, 
which  had  been  intrusted  in  a  measure  with  the  training  of  the  citizen  soldier 
for  times  of  defense,  was  a'  poor  reliance;  that  it  was  not  in  shape  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  national  defense,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  as  has  already  been  inti- 
mated, that  it  was  due  to  the  condition  we  then  faced  that  the  military  clause 
was  inserted  in  the  first  Morrill  Act.  I  remember  hearing  a  volunteer  officer 
in  the  civil  war  say  that  in  his  entire  regiment  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war 
there  was  not  a  single  man  that  could  drill  a  squad.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
statesmen  of  that  day  and  citizens  of  that  day  felt  very  keenly  the  fact  that 
there  were  few  intelligent  and  educated  men  who  had  any  knowledge  of  mili- 
tary science  and  tactics,  and  that  it  was  due  to  this  that  at  that  time  a  new 
theory  was  injected  into  our  system  of  national  military  education.  As  a  result 
of  that  we  have  to-day  three  general  plans  of  military  education:  First,  that 
which  is  typified  by  West  Point,  a  distinctly  military  school  for  the  training  of 
military  officers  :  second,  the  National  Guard,  where  for  a  few  days  each  year 
the  citizens  who  volunteer  in  the  companies  are  trained,  and  third,  the  students 
who  are  trained  in  the  land-grant  colleges  in  this  way.  I  approve  this  as  a 
national  movement,  as  a  great  means  of  national  defense.  I  believe  we  should 
Jiave  a  general  system  which  will  provide  men  of  intelligence  and  education* 


97 

who  can  in  time  of  war  or  stress  be  called  upon  for  service  of  this  kind,  and  I 
wish  to  point  out  to  ymi  the  fact  that  since  is»;'_>  there  lias  been  an  entire  revo- 
lution in  our  system  of  national  militia.  At  that  time  it  was  wholly  and  totally 
Inefficient;  to-day  we  have  a  very  efflclenl  National  Guard,  [f  we  were  able  to 
Inquire  In  detail  Into  the  tacts,  i  believe  we  would  ascertain  thai  the  introduc- 
tion of  military  instruction  into  the  land -granl  colleges  is  chiefly  responsible 
for  that  result.  This  fact  became  quite  apparent  particularly  at  the  time  Of  em- 
late  war  with  Spain.  .Many  commissions  were  issued  in  the  United  States  Army 
at  that  time  to  persons  who  had  had  their  training  in  these  institutions.  So  that 
not  only  through  the  direct  participation  in  military  affairs  hy  the  Students 
who  had  been  graduated  at  these  institutions,  hut  hy  their  participation  in  the 
legislatures  of  the  States,  and  hy  their  influence  in  molding  public  sentiment 
throughout  the  States,  they  have  aided  in  establishing  a  system  of  national 
defense  far  superior  to  that  of  forty  years  ago.  Notwithstanding  that  fact 
there  are  many  things  in  our  system  that  need  amendment,  and  it  is  possible 
for  this  association  to  do  much  that  would  lead  to  a  better  state  of  affairs.  I 
would  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  while  for  forty-two  years  we  have  had  this 
law  upon  our  statute  books,  there  has  been  very  little  done  by  the  Government 
to  provide  for  adequate  instruction  within  the  colleges.  We  have  been  supplied 
with  a  portion  of  the  equipment  necessary — guns  and  ammunition  chiefly. 
There  are  many  things  needed  for  proper  instruction  which  are  not  supplied. 
While  the  National  Guard,  drilling  less  than  one-twentieth  of  the  time  that  the 
students  do  in  our  colleges,  are  supplied  with  uniforms,  the  students  of  the  sev- 
eral colleges  are  not  supplied  with  uniforms.  I  believe  this  association  should 
urge  upon  the  War  Department  the  more  adequate  equipment  of  the  military 
departments  of  the  several  institutions.  While  I  have  this  high  appreciation 
of  the  value  to  our  nation  of  this  instruction,  and  while  I  believe  it  would  be 
possible  and  very  desirable  indeed  to  be  better  equipped  for  it,  yet  I  certainly 
feel  that  the  present  attitude  of  the  War  Department  is  by  no  means  a  for- 
tunate one.  You  will  remember  that  for  many  years  the  officer  who  was 
detailed  as  commandant  in  any  institution  was  directed  to  report  to  the  presi- 
dent of  that  institution  for  orders,  and  that  the  War  Department  did  not  give 
direct  orders  to  the  commandant.  I  think  you  are  also  aware  of  the  fact  that 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  they  now  ignore  the  institution  and  its  officials  and 
give  direct  crders  to  the  officers  of  the  Department  as  to  their  duties.  I  think 
you  will  ad  concede  that  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  administer  any  institution 
properly  where  some  other  authority  may  come  in  and  direct  or  modify  or  con- 
trol by  order  the  programme  of  work.  I  quite  sympathize  with  the  suggestion 
which  has  been  made  that  steps  should  be  taken,  perhaps  through  the  Secretary 
of  War  or  by  calling  the  attention  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  the 
question,  to  improve  the  present  situation.  It  seems  to  me  the  time  is  ripe  for 
doing  something  in  this  direction,  and  I  believe  it  will  not  be  to  the  injury,  but 
to  the  benefit,  of  the  great  system  of  national  military  education. 

I  believe  this  association  should  also  solicit  or  attempt  to  secure  some  further 
recognition  of  the  work  done  by  the  land-grant  colleges  in  the  direction  of 
the  military  instruction.  Lately  we  s  aw  with  approval  an  order  for  the  ap- 
pointment to  commissions  certain  graduates  or'  schools  where  military  instruc- 
tion is  given.  Of  the  six  schools  chosen  last  spring  I  think  not  one  was  a 
land-grant  college;  all  were  private  military  schools  where  young  boys  attend 
and  where  the  leading  feature  is  military  drill.  It  is  true  that  the  older,  more 
experienced  men  in  the  land-grant  colleges  have  perhaps  not  given  so  much 
time  and  attention  to  military  drill  as  the  younger  boys  in  certain  military 
schools    which    make    their    military    departments    a    specially    attractive    and 


98 

prominenl  feature,  but  the  late  war  with  Spain  shows  that  those  officers  who 
came  from  the  land-grant  colleges  served  with  distinction  and  with  credit.  I 
believe  thai  Hie  West  results  that  we  can  hope  to  obtain  will  he  by  the  recogni- 
tion of  these  institutions  as  .111  integral  pari  of  our  system  of  military  educa- 
tion and  a  proper  source  from  which,  upon  occasion  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  Army  amy  he  recruited, 

C.  II.  Van  Hisf.  of  Wisconsin.  The  question  for  us  is.  What  is  the  minimum 
to  which  we  can  all  accede?  The  irreducible  minimum  of  two  hours  per  week 
incorporated  in  the  resolutions  offered  in  general  session  this  morning  (sec 
p.  f>:;i  was  selected  because  this  is  the  amount  which  is  the  practice  of  various 
large  institutions  at  the  present  time.  We  in  Wisconsin  have  two  hours  per 
week,  and  we  hold  that  to  he  a  full  and  fair  compliance  with  the  Morrill  Act. 
We  require  also  two  hours  of  athletic  work  two  days  per  week  in  the  gym- 
nasium, so  students  get  the  setting-up  exercises  and  development  work  which 
in  other  institutions  is  done  in  the  military  department.  The  resolution  does 
not  say  that  the  officers  shall  not  give  more  than  two  hours  per  week  during 
two  years.  Indeed,  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin  and  at  other  institutions, 
all  officers  are  selected  from  the  junior  and  senior  classes  and  are  required  to 
give  two  hours  additional  work  during  three  or  four  years  in  order  to  make 
effective  their  work  as  drill  officers. 

I  am  sure  the  resolution  expresses  the  view  of  a  large  number  of  colleges  as 
to  the  irreducible  minimum.  I  feel  that  if  the  association  will  unite  we  can 
get  the  Secretary  of  War  to  give  a  decision  on  this  point. 

Mr.  Thach.  It  seems  to  me  that  taking  action  as  to  an  irreducible  minimum 
of  two  hours  a  week  rather  puts  the  colleges  that  require  three  or  five  hours 
in  an  improper  position  with  their  student  bodies. 

Mr.  Van  Hise.  Not  at  all.  If  a  college  does  not  require  much  gymnastic 
work  it  is  proper  to  require  more  military  work.  In  Wisconsin  we  used  to 
require  four  hours  a  week  in  military  in  the  freshman  and  sophomore  classes, 
but  when  we  got  a  large  body  of  men  we  believed  it  proper  to  give  half  the 
time  to  military  work  and  half  to  athletic  work. 

A.  Scott,  of  New  Jersey.  The  original  Morrill  Act  intended  that  the  legis- 
latures of  the  States  should  prescribe  the  curriculum,  only  conforming  to  the 
general  statement  of  the  law.  The  State  legislatures  have  very  properly  given 
the  matter  into  the  hands  of  the  trustees,  and  the  trustees  have  intrusted  it 
to  the  faculty.  There  is  in  theory  a  perfect  system  of  national  and  local  con- 
trol. I  am  not  behind  any  of  those  who  have  spoken  in  giving  tribute  to  the 
excellencies  of  this  form  of  education  up  to  a  certain  point,  but  by  virtue  of 
the  Morrill  Act  we  are  not  constituted  a  set  of  military  colleges,  and  I  think 
this  association  should  insist  upon  its  right  to  control  the  military  instruc- 
tion provided  for  in  the  organic  law  of  the  land-grant  institutions. 

R.  W.  Stimson.  of  Connecticut.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  relation  of  the  land- 
grant  college  to  the  War  Department  is  one  purely  of  a  bargain,  and  I  think 
the  War  Department  is  at  perfect  liberty  to  state  terms,  provided  it  states  them 
explicitly  and  does  not  mislead.  If  the  War  Department  says.  "  If  you  want  so 
much  equipment  gratis  ;  if  you  want  a  military  officer  gratis,  and  are  willing  to 
give  five  hours'  instruction  a  week  on  specific  subjects,  we  will  close  the  bargain 
with  you,"  it  seems  to  me  that  is  perfectly  legitimate,  right,  and  proper. 

L.  II.  Bailey,  of  New  York.  It  is  competent  for  any  of  these  land-grant  col- 
leges to  have  its  own  officers  in  military  instruction.  Is  not  this  the  solution  of 
the  matter?     In  that  case  we  have  no  favors  to  ask. 

E.  A.  Burnett,  of  Nebraska.  The  conditions  have  become  so  difficult  in  our 
institution  that  unless  some  modification  can  he  made  within  a  year  or  two 
there  is  no  question  that  the  regents  will  find  it  necessary  to  permit  the  War 


99 

Department  to  withdraw  its  detail  and  its  equipment,  If  need  be,  and  proceed 
with  our  military  instruction  under  such  conditions  as  wo  may  be  able  to  afford. 
This  is  a  matter  <>r  much  regrel  to  the  chancellor,  because  be  believes  In  military 

instruct  Ion. 

W.  o.  Thompson,  of  Ohio.  The  section  of  the  first  Morrill  Act  which  relates 
to  military  instruction  is  as  follows: 

The  President  may.  upon  the  application  Of  any  established  military  institute 
seminary  or  academy,  college  or  university,  within  the  United  states,  baving 
capacity  t<>  educate  at  the  same  time  not  loss  than  150  male  students,  detail  an 
Officer  of  the  Army  or  Navy  to  act  as  superintendent. 

1  call  attention  to  the  wording  of  the  statute  in  order  to  show  that  it  is  not 
mandatory,  hut  permissive,     ruder  this  statute  the  President  may  detail,  or  he 

may  decline  t<>  detail.  In  time  of  war.  when  the  officers  are  in  demand,  he 
may  refuse  ;i  detail,  and  during  the  Spanish  war  he  did  not  detail  anybody 
except  retired  officers.  But  since  that  war  there  have  been  some  detailed  who 
are  not  retired  officers.  There  is  not  a  college  in  this  whole  association  that  can 
meet  this  Order  No.  65  with  five  hours  a  week.  If  they  could  do  so  they  would, 
and  say  no  more  about  it.  Some  of  them  now  give  hair  hours  of  drill  and  an 
hour's  instruction  in  addition,  hut  they  can  not  give  more  than  that  without 
seriously  interrupting  the  work  of  the  college.  The  mandatory  character  of 
this  order  has  raised  the  question  as  to  whether  we  can  obey  it.  Our  commandant 
says  we  can  not  do  it.  Tf  we  have  entered  into  an  agreement,  as  suggested  by 
President  Stimson  and  Dean  Bailey,  we  can  close  the  contract  or  decline  to 
renew  it.  I  think  it  altogether  likely  the  Ohio  State  University  will  request  the 
Department  to  cut  off  the  detail  of  its  officer,  and  then  will  make  some  arrange- 
ment of  its  own.     I  do  not  see  any  other  way  out  of  the  difficulty. 

I  shall  not  object  to  a  minimum  of  two  hours,  but  I  fear  that  if  we  make  the 
minimum  so  low  as  two  hours  it  will  simply  irritate  the  army  officers. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  method  of  attack  of  this  association,  if  an  attack  is 
to  be  made,  is  to  go  by  competent  committee  on  which  I  should  have  some  recog- 
nized military  man,  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  state  our  difficul- 
ties, and  ask  his  advice.  I  would  refer  this  resolution  to  our  executive  committee 
for  consideration  with  a  view  to  devising  some  means  of  reaching  the  matter 
through  the  President,  giving  them  full  power  to  act,  knowing  very  well  what 
the  state  of  sentiment  is  in  this  body. 

J.  K.  Patterson,  of  Kentucky.  About  eighteen  years  ago  in  the  preliminary 
meeting  that  was  held  in  Washington  to  take  steps  looking  toward  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  association,  this  question  came  up  and  was  debated  with  a  great 
deal  of  earnestness,  I  may  say  with  not  a  little  acrimony.  There  were  a  few 
of  the  colleges  represented  on  that  occasion  who  were  quite  willing,  and  I  may 
say  anxious  to  comply  with  what  they  believed  was  the  spirit  and  intent  of  the 
organic  law  as  set  forth  in  the  act  of  1862.  They  held  that  there  were  two  or 
three  things  that  were  made  obligatory  in  that  organic  law.  One  was.  teaching 
those  branches  of  learning  relating  to  agriculture,  and  another  those  relating  to 
mechanic  arts,  and  another  relating  to  military  tactics.  There  were  certain 
subjects  that  were  optional,  that  might  be  included  or  might  not,  and  these  were 
classics  and  other  scientific  studies.  They  held  that  if  it  was  obligatory  upon 
the  colleges  to  teach  sciences  relating  to  agriculture  and  to  mechanic  arts,  it 
was  equally  obligatory  to  make  provision  for  carrying  out  what  they  believed 
to  he  the  intent  as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law  in  regard  to  the  instruction  in 
military  tactics;  that  they  could  not  set  aside  the  one  without  setting  aside 
the  other  ;  that  there  was  no  more  reason  why  they  should  adhere  to  military 
tactics  and  mechanic  arts  and  eliminate  agriculture  than  there  was  to  adhere 
to  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts,  and  eliminate  or  perform  in  a  perfunctory 


100 

way  military  tactics.  I  remember  that  those  who  hold  these  views  were  in  a 
small  minority.  Some  were  willing  to  abolish  military  tactics  in  the  colleges 
at  that  time  altogether,  and  to  brave  the  consequences,  whatever  they  might 
be.  Others  wished  to  reduce  it  to  a  very  small  minimum  ;  I  was  among  those 
who  proposed  to  carry  out  in  good  faith  what  they  conceived  to  he  the  obliga- 
tions  of  the  act.  From  the  beginning  of  my  administration  of  affairs  in  the  col- 
lege of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  in  Kentucky,  in  18G9,  to  the  present,  I 
have  endeavored  to  carry  out  the  act  of  18<J2  in  its  fullness  and  totality.  We 
have  had  no  difficulty  with  the  War  Department,  and  have  encountered  no 
difficulty  in  carrying  out  Order  No.  05.  Until  about  three  years  ago  we 
required  all  male  students  to  drill  throughout  all  classes  and  allowed  no  excep- 
tions or  evasions.     Now  the  senior  class  is  exempted  from  military  service. 

As  a  matter  of  interpretation  of  the  law,  I  think  this  matter  ought  to  be 
regulated  by  the  State  to  which  the  grant  is  given,  but  no  specific  action  has 
ever  been  taken  with  reference  to  this  burning  and  vexed  question  that  has  tor- 
mented us  for  years.  If  any  legislature  would  take  the  initiative  in  defining 
what  it  conceived  to  be  the  duties  of  the  colleges  organized  and  controlled  by  it 
under  the  organic  law  of  Congress,  or  say  what  they  wanted  done,  it  would 
bring  a  direct  issue  between  the  legislature  and  the  War  Department  of  the 
United  States,  but  I  do  not  consider  it  wise  to  do  this.  In  my  opinion  the 
present  crisis  is  very  largely  our  own  fault.  All  of  us  who  have  attended  these 
meetings  for  the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years  know  that  there  have  been  a  number 
of  colleges  represented  in  this  organization  that  have  always  stood  for  military 
tactics  and  military  drill.  There  have  been  a  number  that  have  constantly 
been  endeavoring  to  avoid  and  minimize  it.  and  some  would  have  been  glad  to 
eliminate  it  altogether.  For  a  number  of  years  an  inspector  did  not  come  around 
at  all,  but  within  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  the  inspector  sent  by  the  War 
Department  has  come  around  annually.  He  visits  the  commandant,  and  the 
president  and  some  of  the  cadet  officers,  and  he  makes  up  his  report  from  what 
he  hears.  It  is  on  account  of  the  unfavorable  character  of  some  of  these  reports 
that  Order  No.  65  has  been  issued  by  the  War  Department. 

Mr.  Thompson.  How  many  hours  a  week  do  you  give  to  this  matter? 

Mr.  Patterson.  Five  hours  a  week. 

Mr.  Thompson.  We  are  giving  four  hours  a  week  to  drill  plus  one  hour  of 
instruction,  and  we  have  been  censured.  Our  commandant  says  we  can  not 
carry  out  Order  No.  65  with  ten  hours  a  week. 

Mr.  Patterson.  When  Order  No.  (55  came  I  had  a  conference  with  the  com- 
mandant, and  I  said,  "  It  matters  not  whether  it  subjects  us  to  any  inconven- 
ience in  other  directions  or  not,  you  must  carry  out  loyally  the  spirit  cf  this 
order  and  its  intent,  and  if  five  hours  is  not  sufficient,  you  will  have  to  take  a 
sufficient  amount  of  additional  time  from  other  duties  connected  with  the  col- 
lege."    The  military  instruction  is  a  popular  feature  in  our  institution. 

We  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  upon  our  first  board  cf  trustees  a  major- 
general  of  volunteers,  who  drew  up  the  regulations  for  West  Point  fifty  years 
ago,  and  he  impressed  the  military  spirit  and  the  spirit  of  the  military  organi- 
zation upon  the  State  college  of  Kentucky,  and  it  has  never  sought  to  escape 
from  it.  From  another  point  of  view  I  conceive  that  military  instruction  is  one 
of  the  best  features  of  these  land-grant  colleges.  As  stated  by  President  Bryan, 
we  raise  our  armies  not  by  conscription,  but  from  the  volunteers.  Now,  in  the 
event  of  a  great  national  crisis,  and  in  view  of  our  great  national  expansion, 
we  must  provide  and  educate  citizen  soldiery  that  is  capable  of  meeting  emer- 
gencies when  they  arise.  Military  training  will  always  be  popular  in  this 
country,  because  we  are  potentially  a  military  nation,  and  will  have  to  provide 
the  military  education  by  which  a  citizen  soldiery  will  always  be  at  the  com- 


101 

mand  of  the  United  states  of  America.  one  of  the  features  of  this  training  is 
the  habit  of  obedience,  which   it    Inculcates.     I    submit   to  every  one  of  you 

gentlemen    here1  that   obedience   to    law    and    wholesome   submission    to   salutary 

restraint  Is  our  of  the  great  desiderata  In  the  education  of  the  young  men  of 

America.  We  are  inclined  to  be  somewhat  lawless— we  have  the  reputation  of 
being  lawless,  in  looking  over  the  penal  statistics  of  Great  Britain,  of  the 
United  States,  Germany,  and  France,  you  will  find  that,  unhappily,  we  are  very 
largely  In  the  ascendant  with  the  percentage  of  crimes,  the  percentage  of  murder, 
the  percentage  of  deeds  of  violence  to  which  the  habit  of  disobedience  neces- 
sarily leads,  as  compared  with  any  other  civilized  countries  of  the  world.  But 
we  can  make  this  military  education  in  these  several  institutions  auxiliary  to 
the  improvement  in  this  respect,  and.  it  seems  to  me,  it  would  be  well  worth 
the  expenditure  of  our  time  and  worthy  of  our  consideration  and  efforts. 

After  some  further  discussion  President  Van  Hise's  resolution  was  adopted  in 
modified  form,  as  already  given  (p.  G3). 

What  Degrees  Should  Be  Given  for  the  Completion  of  Undergraduate 
Courses  in  Land-Grant  Colleges? 

G.  A.  Harter,  of  Delaware,  presented  the  following  paper  on  this  subject: 

The  subject  that  has  been  assigned  me  by  the  programme  committee  to-day 
gives  me  peculiar  satisfaction  in  that  I  shall  be  able  to  present  my  personal 
views  instead  of  being  required  officially  to  announce  a  distasteful  practice, 
as  I  must  do  in  college  publications  and  at  college  functions. 

"  What  degree  shall  be  given  for  completion  of  undergraduate  work  in 
land-grant  colleges?  "  has  been  asked  by  each  of  these  institutions  and  has 
brought  forth  a  great  variety  of  answers.  When  these  colleges  were  first 
organized  there  was  no  uniformity  of  conception  among  educators  as  to  the 
work  that  they  were  meant  to  perform  in  the  national  educational  economy.  Pro- 
vision was  made  in  the  law  approved  by  President  Lincoln,  July  5,  1862,  for 
"'the  maintenance  of  at  least  one  college  in  each  State  where  the  leading 
objects  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical  studies  and 
including  military  tactics,  to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are  related 
to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner  as  the  legislatures  of 
the  States  may,  respectively,  prescribe,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal  and 
practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and 
professions  in  life."  This  was  a  time  when  the  old  forms  of  education  were 
found  to  be  inadequate  for  the  training  of  men  for  the  several  pursuits  of 
life,  and  new  methods  and  new  schools,  wider  in  every  sense  than  the  old 
classical  college,  were  springing  up.  The  old  college,  with  its  Greek,  Latin, 
mathematics,  and  modicum  of  science  no  longer  filled  the  want  of  those  who 
sought  an  education  to  train  them  to  do  things  in  the  affairs  of  the  world. 

The  college  was  no  longer  looked  upon  as  the  place  where  boys  should  go 
to  get  preparation  for  entering  the  so-called  "learned  professions "  only,  but 
young  men  began  to  find  that  they  could  be  fitted  for  other  occupations  that 
demanded  as  serious  application  of  mental  powers  as  were  used  by  the 
preacher,  the  lawyer,  or  the  doctor.  The  Morrill  law  of  1862  was  but  an 
expression  of  the  great  popular  dissatisfaction  with  the  old-fashioned  college 
curriculum.  It  was  an  attempt  to  adjust  the  new  education,  as  it  was  at  that 
time  understood,  to  meet  the  new  requirements  of  the  sciences  in  the  college 
course  to  the  training  of  the  industrial  classes. 

The  historian  of  the  future  will  point  with  pride  to  the  sympathy  of  the 
T'nited  States  Government  with  this  great  popular  demand  for  widening  and 
deepening  in  every  way  the  channels  through  which  the  various  organized 
agencies  of  educational  processes  have  laid  hold  of  American  life. 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  land-scrip  bill,  colleges  were  organized  in 
every  State,  beneficiary  of  the  provisions  thus  made  for  them.  In  some 
States  they  were  established  in  connection  with  colleges  already  in  existence, 
and  new  life  was  put  into  these  old  institutions  by  the  enlarged  opportunities 
made  possible  by  widening  their  curricula  and  enriching  their  courses  of  study. 
In  other  States  a  new  kind  of  college  was  founded  in  order  to  teach  agricul- 
ture and  the  mechanic  arts.  In  still  other  States  the  funds  arising  from  the 
national  grant  were  either  applied  to  the  founding  of  a   State  university  or 


102 

were  used  ns  part  of  the  funds  of  a  State  university;  in  either  case  they 
were  set  aside  directly  for  instruction  in  such  branches  of  learning  as  are 
related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts.  This  movement,  which  was  at 
w.uk  in  the  organization  of  the  new  land-grant  college,  was  also  taking  hold 
of  the  older  colleges,  and  the  courses  of  study  offered  to  the  youth  who  matricu- 
lated in  one  of  these  institutions  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century 
greatly  astonished  the  father's  mind  who  was  a  student  in  the  middle  of  the 
century,  by  reason  of  the  fullness  and  richness  from  which  his  son  could  elect 
such  studies  as  afforded  the  best  preparation  for  his  after  life.  The  sciences 
and  their  application  to  the  various  professions  of  life  had  found  a  place  in 
the  curricula,  and  it  was  soon  found  impossible  for  anyone  to  get  more  than 
a  smattering  of  elementary  principles  if  he  should  attempt  to  take  them  all. 

There  was  great  diversity  of  conception  of  the  functions  of  a  college,  and 
especially  did  the  land-grant  colleges  differ  in  their  organization  and  prac- 
tice. However,  they  honestly  set  about  their  work  and  had  demonstrated  their 
usefulness  in  such  an  emphatic  way  as  to  deserve  further  aid  in  the  new 
Morrill  bill  of  1890.  Many  of  them  established  courses  shorter  than  the  four 
years'  course  which  had  been  handed  down  to  them  from  the  older  colleges, 
and  they  sought  degrees  that  were  of  lower  significance  than  the  old  degrees. 
Often  they  required  less  preparation  of  those  entering  into  the  more  practical 
lines  of  work  than  was  asked  of  candidates  for  the  severer  courses,  which  were 
still  kept  to  give  proper  dignity  to  the  institution.  Their  aim  was  to  turn  out 
men  who  could  actually  do  something ;  who  could  apply  their  knowledge  to 
some  useful  purpose,  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  that  mental  culture  which  comes 
from  the  mastering  of  the  principles  of  a  science. 

There  was  a  complete  shaking  up  of  the  older  courses  of  study  and  a  recast- 
ing of  the  forms  of  education  offered  to  the  youth  seeking  training  in  the  col- 
lege. The  time-honored  classical  course  was  rendered  more  useful  by  giving 
enlarged  attention  to  the  English  language,  by  the  introduction  of  rational 
methods  of  study  to  history  and  science,  and  by  the  addition  of  one  or  more 
modern  languages. 

A  scientific  course,  with  or  without  Latin,  was  organized  parallel  with  the 
older  classical  course ;  but  at  first  the  requirements  for  entrance  upon  the  newer 
course  were  often  less  than  were  demanded  from  a  candidate  seeking  admis- 
sion to  the  older  training.  By  reason  of  the  poorer  preparation  for  their 
duties,  students  in  the  latter  course  performed  their  work  in  an  inferior  man- 
ner, and,  of  course,  received  an  inferior  training.  Even  after  entering  college 
upon  a  lower  plane  than  the  classical  students,  often  the  course  was  completed 
in  three  years,  thus  making  the  degree  given  to  be  regarded  as  much  inferior 
to  the  old-time  bachelor  of  arts. 

The  degree  of  bachelor  of  science,  or  sometimes  the  degree  of  bachelor  of 
philosophy,  was  introduced  for  such  students  as  had  completed  the  so-called 
"  scientific  "  courses  of  study.  This  degree  had  very  unfortunate  treatment  in 
its  early  history,  but  it  soon  recovered  its  standing  when  the  colleges  asked  of 
the  candidates  for  graduation  preparation  as  severe  and  as  extended  as  was 
demanded  of  the  older  course  of  study,  and  now  it  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 
Candidates  for  degrees  in  the  various  scientific  courses  have  as  difficult  work 
as  the  classical  students,  and  while  they  do  not  pursue  the  same  studies  they 
receive  the  same  degree  of  mental  training  from  the  severe  exactness  of  their 
work  and  the  broad  liberality  of  their  course.  Even  if  something  is  sacrificed 
in  not  requiring  so  much  specific  attainment  as  is  required  of  the  classical 
students  for  admission,  it  can  be  more  than  made  up  by  asking  of  the  appli- 
cant greater  maturity  of  mind  and  fixity  of  purpose. 

If  college  courses  are  to  be  judged  by  the  careers  of  the  men  who  have  taken 
them,  we  feel  justly  proud  of  the  training  that  we  have  given  in  the  courses 
of  science,  agriculture,  and  engineering.  These  men  have  measured  up  with 
the  classical  men  in  every  duty  and  have  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their 
fellows  in  this  preparation  for  life.  They  have  not  fallen  behind  the  men  who 
have  studied  the  classics  in  culture,  for  that  indefinable  something  that  comes 
after  years  of  association  with  great  minds  comes  not  less  surely  to  the  student 
of  science  than  to  the  devotee  of  the  classical  literature  of  the  world. 

The  new  education,  however,  did  not  stop  with  the  addition  of  one  degree 
to  denote  the  accomplishment  of  undergraduate  training.  It  makes  the  head 
swim  to  contemplate  the  number  and  significance  of  the  degrees  given  by 
American  colleges.  In  the  Standard  Dictionary  an  attempt  to  give  the  degrees 
offered  by  the  "  leading  universities  and  other  educational  institutions  "  occu- 


in:; 

pies  nearly  tbree  whole  columns — almost  no  entire  page  of  that  mammotb  pub- 
llcation — and  even  then  the  list  Is  far  from  being  exhausted. 

Every  possible  phase  of  education  or  direction  In  which  it  may  i><-  applied 
has  its  own  degree;  every  occupation,  calling,  or  business  claims  the  distinction 
of  ;i  degree.  Whether  ;i  Bingle  science  is  studied,  or  a  group  of  sciences  so  cor- 
related as  to  tit  for  some  specific  end,  the  completion  of  the  study  is  followed 
by  the  granting  of  a  degree  Indicating  thai  the  student  has  accomplished  such 
course  of  study,  it  makes  one  dizzy  to  follow  the  great  diversity  of  possible 
degrees  to  which  such  a  plan  loads. 

The  medical  course  in  this  country  leads  to  an  abominable  system  of  degrees; 
but  custom  has  so  fixed  the  title  of  doctor  as  synonymous  with  the  profession 
of  the  physician  that  it  is  hopeless  to  make  an  effort  to  change  it.  However, 
the  physicians  do  not  make  any  distinction  of  specialists,  only  having  distinctive 
titles  for  dentists,  veterinarians,  and  compounders  of  medicines. 

The  etymology  of  the  term  "  hachelor  "  is  not  haccalaureus.  fancifully  derived 
from  "hay  berry,"  "the  laurel-crowned  one,"  hut  haccalaureus,  originally 
vacca  laurius — vacca,  afterwards  written  bacca,  and  laurius,  changed  to  laureus 
to  conform  to  a  fancy  forced  upon  it — "cow  driver,"  "an  apprentice,"  or  a 
soldier  who  has  not  yet  risen  to  the  dignity  of  carrying  the  standard.  The 
word  is  thus  peculiarly  fitting  for  the  first  collegiate  degree.  A  movement  has 
lately  set  in  that  promises  to  reduce  the  number  of  degrees,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  the  land-grant  colleges  will  unite  in  helping  it  along.  All  those  colleges 
now  require  of  the  candidates  who  annually  present  themselves  for  admission 
to  the  college  about  the  same  grade  of  preparation.  Men  who  are  admitted 
to  any  work  of  lower  order  than  the  freshman  grade  are  not  looking  forward 
to  taking  a  degree,  and  those  pursuing  any  course  less  extended  than  the 
four  years'  courses  are  sufficiently  rewarded  by  the  knowledge  and  training 
they  have  received. 

The  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  has  been  from  the  first  the  distinctive  degree  of 
the  man  who  has  studied  Latin  and  Greek;  but  it  has  lately  been  given  to  the 
man  who  has  studied  Latin  only.  This  degree,  in  my  judgment,  out  of  respect  for 
this  old  custom,  should  be  given  to  those  two  classes  of  graduates  only.  The 
degree  of  B.  S.  should  be  given  to  the  graduate  of  any  other  course,  and  the  studies 
in  which  he  has  specialized  or  the  direction  in  which  his  profession  lies  can  be 
added  in  his  diploma.  The  B.  S.  degree  should  be  put  on  the  same  level  as  the 
B.  A.  degree  in  preparation  asked  of  the  candidate  and  in  the  length  and 
severity  of  the  course  leading  to  it. 

Some  of  the  engineers  are  making  a  special  plea  for  a  degree  to  be  known  as 
bachelor  of  engineering.  They  claim  that  this  degree  should  be  given  after  the 
completion  of  a  course  of  studies  so  related  to  each  other  as  to  prepare  the 
student  for  undertaking  the  complex  duties  of  the  engineer.  They  recognize 
that  there  are  too  many  subidvisions  of  the  modern  engineering  profession  to 
give  each  its  appropriate  degree. 

At  first  civil  engineering,  as  distinguished  from  military  engineering,  bad- 
alone  to  be  provided  for.  Soon  mechanical  and  mining  engineering,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  electrical  engineering,  entered  into  the  field,  and  now  we  have 
chemical  engineering,  sanitary  engineering,  textile  engineering,  landscape  en- 
gineering, promoting  engineering,  and  so  on  ad  nauseam.  Agriculture  as  an 
industry  has  the  same  claims  as  the  profession  of  engineering,  and  it  calls  for 
a  knowledge  of  science  and  training  in  its  application  as  wide  and  as  thorough 
as  are  demanded  by  any  of  the  industries  of  life.  Some  colleges  give  the 
bachelor  of  agriculture,  others  the  bachelor  of  the  science  of  agriculture.  The 
horticulturists,  the  pomologists,  the  agrostologists.  and  various  other  specialists 
may  insist  upon  giving  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  the  particular  branch  of  agri- 
culture in  which  the  student  has  received  his  undergraduate  training. 

The  only  way  to  stop  the  multiplication  of  degrees  is  to  come  to  some 
rational  plan,  and  I  am  glad  to  see  that  most  land-grant  colleges  have  aready 
put  in  practice  the  granting  of  only  two  degrees,  the  bachelor  of  arts  and  the 
bachelor  of  science. 

To  conclude.  I  think  the  land-grant  colleges  should  limit  their  degrees  upon 
the  completion  of  an  undergraduate  course  of  study  to  the  degrees  of  bachelor 
of  arts  and  bachelor  of  science.  The  former  degree  should  be  given  to  the 
graduate  of  a  course  of  study  in  which  Greek  and  Latin,  or  Latin  alone,  of  col- 
legiate grade,  formed  a  part  of  the  regular  work  of  the  course.  The  degree  of 
bachelor  of  science  should  be  given  to  students  upon  the  completion  of  any  of 
the  other  courses,  and  it  should  be  added  in  the  diploma  in  what  lines  they 
directed  their  studies. 


104 

Tue  degree  is  simply  an  abbreviation  of  the  diploma,  and  the  title  merely  in- 
dicates that  the  student  has  received  the  training  of  the  undergraduate  course 
of  a  college.  The  name  of  the  college  may  with  groat  propriety  be  included  in 
parentheses  after  the  degree.  For  the  second  degree  resident  graduate  study 
or  successful  practical  work  should  be  required,  and  then  the  degree  should  be  in 
keeping  with  the  work  that  has  been  done. 

A.  B.  Storms,  of  Iowa.  The  tendency  of  the  older  eastern  institutions  is  to 
simplify  the  matter  of  degrees,  as  the  paper  states,  and  there  is  evident 
necessity  for  this.  Originally  the  bachelor  of  arts  degree  implied  that  the 
student  had  pursued  a  certain  well-defined  course  of  study,  the  courses  of  study 
leading  to  the  degree  being  limited.  It  was  assumed  when  this  degree  was 
given  to  a  man  that  he  had  studied  Greek  and  Latin,  or  at  least  Latin.  With 
the  growth  of  scientific  studies,  however,  there  has  been  a  great  enlargement  of 
the  curricula  of  the  schools,  with  a  multiplication  of  bachelor  degrees  of 
various  kinds.  I  do  not  think  the  bachelor  of  science  degrees  are  sufficiently 
definite  as  significations  of  the  courses  pursued.  I  would  like  to  add  the 
designation  of  the  line  of  study,  as,  for  example,  bachelor  of  science  in  agricul- 
ture. Bachelor  of  science  means  that  a  student  has  pursued  the  general  scientific 
course.  When  we  give  the  degree  cf  bachelor  of  science  in  agriculture  it  means 
the  student  has  pursued  the  agricultural  course,  and  I  think  that  is  essential. 
T  do  not  believe  you  can  radically  change  the  degrees  that  are  already  fixed, 
like  those  of  engineering,  veterinary  medicine,  etc. 

H.  0.  White,  of  Georgia.  I  suppose  we  all  recognize  that  no  baccalaureate 
degree  should  be  given  except  on  the  completion  of  a  course  of  study 
reasonably  satisfactory  to  the  faculty  as  indicating  that  the  man  who  pursued 
it  has  had  a  certain  amount  of  general  training  in  which  there  may  have  been 
certain  special  lines  of  work.  Now,  the  difficulties  that  have  confronted  the 
faculties — certainly  the  difficulties  that  have  confronted  our  faculty  through  our 
entire  history — is  to  determine  just  what  lines  of  special  work  we  shall  admit 
for  our  baccalaureate  degrees.  It  of  course  touches  the  broad  question  which 
was  in  part  discussed  at  the  National  Association  of  State  Universities  the 
other  day  as  to  how  far  professional  training  might  be  admitted  into  the  years 
of  the  man's  college  course  usually  dedicated  to  his  undergraduate  work.  In 
•our  technical  courses  in  the  sciences  I  fancy  we  have  less  trouble  with  the 
degree  given  of  liberal  arts.  We  have  less  trouble  because  some  of  our  tech- 
nical sciences  are  pedagogically  of  such  value  in  science  training  that  we  have 
had  no  great  difficulty  in  permitting  our  undergraduates  to  take  certain  lines 
which  might  be  regarded  as  specialized  lines.  Now,  assuming  that  they  may 
take  these  various  specialized  groups  in  agriculture,  or  even  in  pure  sciences,  or 
the  application  of  pure  sciences  and  chemistry — we  have  such  an  instance  in 
our  own  case,  that  of  engineering — that  the  faculties  are  careful  that  the  num- 
ber of  years  which  are  dedicated  to  the  undergraduate  work  shall  include  just, 
the  study  which  will  give  the  man  the  necessary  mental  training  and  discipline 
to  put  him  side  by  side  with  the  man  in  the  liberal  arts  course:  that  is  to  say. 
in  the  general  collegiate  training,  we  started  out  by  differentiation  in  the  name  of 
the  degree.  We  gave  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  engineers,  and  also  bachelor  of 
agriculture,  and  we  gave  the  degree  even  of  bachelor  of  chemical  science  at  one 
time,  and  the  tendency  was  to  differentiate  in  the  name  of  the  degree.  We  found 
there  was  one  effect  of  this  in  the  mind  of  our  students.  When  a  man  came 
and  entered,  for  example,  he  would  enter  in  the  freshman  class  for  the  degree  of 
bachelor  of  engineering.  Before  he  passed  into  the  sophomore  class  he  would 
want  to  substitute  this  or  that  or  the  other  study  for  something  we  thought 
better  for  his  general  training  in  the  freshman  work,  and  so  eventually  we 
came  to  the  conclusion — and  it  is  a  conviction  with  us,  because  we  have  now 


105 

tried  it  for  a  Dumber  of  years  thai  it  Is  safer  t  >  give  the  general  degree  of 
bachelor  of  science  to  every  man  who  ccnrptetes  any  one  of  the  euuises  of 
studies.  But  we  do  follow  the  suggestion  <  f  Pr  feasor  storms,  if  it  is  desired 
by  the  graduate,  we  will  indicate  under  the  uame  of  the  degree  "  in  agriculture/' 
or  "  in  engineering,"  or  "  in  electrical  engineering,"  but  thai  is  all  we  do  desig- 
nate. We  give  tli**  degree  of  bachelor  of  sciences  only,  and  indicate,  as  1  say. 
whether  agriculture, or  civil  engineering,  or  electrical  engineering.  I  do  not  con- 
tend that  is  the  best  way.  hut  of  course  it  would  he  scarcely  proper  for  me  to 
undertake  to  discuss  a  paper  and  insist  on  something  that  we  do  not  do 
ourselves.  I  rather  think  that  is  the  safest  thing  to  do  at  present.  First  of 
all,  I  think  we  certainly  ought  to  insist  that  the  degree  should  not  he  given  to 
::ny  man  until  lie  has  had  that  amount  of  training  and  culture  which  will  at 
any  rate  equal  that  he  would  get  in  the  college  of  liberal  arts.  You  can 
scarcely  get  the  bachelor  of  arts  man  as  yet  to  yield  equal  dignity  to  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  agriculture.  The  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  has  come 
to  be  about  as  well  established  as  the  old  bachelor  of  arts,  and  therefore  I 
think  the  safe  plan  is  to  give  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  with  or  without 
the  inscription  after  the  degree  which  would  indicate  the  particular  course. 

Mr.  Bailey.  The  practice  in  the  college  of  agriculture  of  Cornell  University 
is  not  one  that  commends  itself  to  me.  I  think  the  distinction  raised  by  Presi- 
dent Storms  between  general  academic  degrees  and  professional  degrees  is  a 
Aery  important  one  to  keep  in  mind.  We  have  professional  degrees  of  civil 
engineer,  and  mechanical  engineer,  and  doctor  of  veterinary  medicine  in  our 
institution,  as  in  others,  and  they  stand  for  training  in  certain  professional  lines 
of  work.  In  the  university  they  give  to  the  graduates  of  the  college  of  agri- 
culture the  degree  of  B.  S.  A.,  hoping  thereby  to  designate  our  belief  that  the 
college  cf  agriculture  is  a  professional  college  and  is  a  college  which  leads  to 
liberal  culture,  giving  one  of  the  two  coordinate  degrees  that  stand  for  liberal 
•education,  B.  S.  and  B.  A.,  B.  A.  standing  for  the  culmination  of  the  worli  up 
through  the  languages  and  B.  S.  for  work  up  through  the  sciences.  We  differ- 
entiate from  the  old  B.  S.  by  adding  an  A.  B.  to  it,  and  the  whole  title  is  bachelor 
of  the  science  of  agriculture,  which  I  do  not  like.  I  should  much  prefer  to  have 
the  degree  bachelor  of  science  in  agriculture.  There  is  a  science  of  agriculture 
as  distinct  from  other  sciences.  I  think  the  important  point  for  us  to  discuss 
and  bear  in  mind  is  this:  Is  an  agricultural  course  a  professional  course  in  the 
same  sense  as  a  legal  or  civil  engineering  course,  or  is  it  a  course,  as  you  say. 
of  the  liberal  art  course,  which  leads  to  a  bachelor  of  science  degree  (or  to  the 
bachelor  of  arts  degree),  as  distinguished  from  professional  degrees?  My  own 
feeling  is  that  in  our  own  case,  at  any  rate,  the  agricultural  course  should  be 
considered  to  be  a  general  culture  course  rather  than  a  strictly  professional 
course;  that  we  should  give  it  the  title  and  designation  of  bachelor  of  science. 
I  am  very  willing  to  add  the  designation  of  the  course  of  study,  as,  for  example, 
of  bachelor  of  science  in  agriculture,  and  for  a.ll  the  different  lines  in  which  the 
degree  is  earned.  It  has  been  suggested  that  an  agricultural  student  on  gradua- 
tion should  get  the  degree  of  agricultural  engineer,  'which  perhaps  would  be 
abbreviated  A  E  In  other  words,  there  is  a  tendency,  I  think,  in  some  quarters 
to  regard  agricultural  work  as  strictly  professional  work.  I  should  think  that 
unwise.  I  should  prefer  to  give  a  general  B.  S.  degree  with  the  subordinate 
designation. 

Mr.  Thach.  We  have  been  established  for  some  time  as  a  scientific  school. 
We  have  four  or  five  courses  in  engineering,  a  course  in  agriculture  and  chem- 
istry combined,  one  in  chemistry,  and  one  in  mining  engineering;  in  all,  about 
eight  specific  courses.  We  confer  only  one  degree  absolutely,  and  that  is 
bachelor  of  science.     We  regard  that  as  specific  and  thoroughly  well  differen- 


106 

tiated.  1  should  like  to  see  the  land-grant  colleges  give  one  degree  and  require 
four  years'  good  work,  with  as  much  language  as  possible  for  a  we'll  "Established 
degree  of  bachelor  of  science.  We  designate  in  the  diploma  bachelor  of  science 
in  certain  courses,  but  we  print  and  advertise  the  man  as  a  bachelor  of  science. 
I  do  not  see  any  use  of  being  ashamed  of  that;  it  differentiates  the  modern 
theory  from  the  old  theory.  I  would  like  to  see  it  done  universally  as  far  as 
possible.  We  also  give  the  professional  degrees  of  civil  engineer,  mechanical 
engineer,  or  electrical  engineer,  and  so  on  for  postgraduate  work.  I  remember 
the  time  when  B.  S.  was  regarded  as  a  little  inferior,  and  men  were  clamoring 
for  the  A.  B.  degree  for  scientific  work.  But  that  confuses  matters  and  does  not 
indicate  just  the  line  of  work  pursued.  We  give  one  general  B.  S.  degree,  and 
later  a  master  of  science  degree  of  the  professional  degrees  as  stated. 

Election  of  Officers. 

The  hour  for  election  of  officers  having  arrived,  President  Nichols,  of  Kansas, 
nominated  President  R.  W.  Stimson,  of  Connecticut,  for  chairman  of  the  section, 
and  President  Fellows,  of  Maine,  nominated  President  K.  L.  Butterfield.  of 
Rhode  Island,  for  secretary.  There  being  no  other  nominations,  the  secretary 
was  by  vote  directed  to  cast  the  vote  of  the  section  for  these  gentlemen  for  the 
offices  named. 

For  members  of  the  executive  committee  there  were  nominated  Messrs.  II.  C. 
White,  of  Georgia;  W.  O.  Thompson,  of  Ohio  (who  withdrew  his  name)  ;  E.  R. 
Nichols,  of  Kansas;  J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan;  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  New  York,  and 
J.  C.  Hardy,  of  Mississippi.  On  a  ballot  being  taken  Messrs.  White,  Snyder,  and 
Bailey  received  the  highest  number  of  votes  and  were  declared  elected. 

Action  on  Resolutions. 

The  resolutions  on  cooperation  between  the  stations  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  (see  p.  62)  were  read  and  approved  by  the  section, 
as  required  by  the  constitution  in  case  of  all  questions  of  administrative  policy. 

The  resolution  of  Director  Armsby  regarding  appropriations  for  stations  and 
in  support  of  the  mining  school  bill  (see  p.  43),  and  that  offered  by  Dean  Daven- 
port, relating  to  the  extension  of  the  franking  privilege  to  engineering  experi- 
ment stations  (see  p.  64),  were  also  approved. 

A  similar  resolution  regarding  the  franking  privilege  for  extension  work  pub- 
lications (see  p.  64),  offered  by  K.  L.  Butterfield,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  adopted. 

The  section  then  adjourned  to  meet  after  the  evening  session  of  the  general 
convention. 

Evening  Session,  Wednesday,  November  -2,  1904. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  9.45  p.  m.  by  the  chairman,  W.  E.  Stone. 

What  Can  and  Should  be  Done  to  Increase  the  Interest  in  and  Apprecia- 
tion for  the  Agricultural  Side  of  Technical  Education? 

J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan,  presented  the  following  paper  on  this  subject: 

The  oldest  agricultural  college  in  this  country  will  celebrate  its  fiftieth  anni- 
versary three  years  hence.  At  the  opening  of  this  college,  and  for  many  years 
thereafter,  there  was  very  little  systematized  knowledge  which  could  be  taught 
to  students  in  theoretical  or  practical  agriculture  beyond  the  ordinary  operations 
of  the  farm  familiar  to  every  country  boy.  The  knowledge  of  science  as  re- 
lated to  agriculture  was  very  meager  and  was  not  systematized  nor  in  such 
form  as  to  be  readily  used  in  class  instruction. 

Farming  was  a  very  simple  operation  in  those  days.  Professor  Hamilton 
tells  of  an  inventory  of  the  farm  machinery  and  implements  in  use  on  one  of 


107 

the  best  200-acre  farms  of  Pennsylvania  fifty  years  ago,  the  full  value  of  which 
was  $73.50.  The  equipmenl  on  such  .1  farm  to-day  would  be  worth  from  $1,000 
to  $3,000. 

In  those  early  days  students  were  given  almost  the  same  work  as  offered  by 
the  scientific  department  of  - » 1 1 1«  •  i-  colleges.  The  Instruction  in  agriculture  was 
given  in  the  field,  largely  i>.\  performing  the  ordinary  tasks  of  <  - 1 « * .- 1 1  ■  i  1 1  ir .  ditch 
ing,  fencing,  and  tilling  the  soil. 

Prom  this  chaotic  condition  agricultural  knowledge,  by  the  arduous  efforts  of 
a  few  able  men,  began  to  expand  and  develop,  certain  subjects  became  promi 
tient,  and  information  relating  to  these  subjects  was  systematized  and  gradually 
worked  into  such  form  as  to  be  readily  adapted  to  class  Instruction.  This  fund 
of  information,  both  practical  and  theoretical,  has  been  added  to  and  enriched 
year  by  year.  Under  scientific,  painstaking  instructors  it  has  been  worked  Into 
pedagogical  form,  and  courses  of  study  with  science  as  a  hasis  have  been  de 
veioped.  until  at  present  the  agricultural  side  of  technical  education  can  pre 
sent  a  respectable  appearance  in  the  educational  world. 

More  has  been  accomplished  during  the  last  decade  than  was  accomplished 
during  the  four  preceding.  Until  very  recently  technical  courses  in  agriculture 
could  not  rightfully  claim  equal  standing  with  technical  courses  in  medicine, 
law.  or  engineering.  At  present,  however,  many  institutions  have  placed  cer- 
tain courses  in  agriculture  on  a  par  with  technical  courses  in  the  subjects  jusl 
mentioned. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  all  courses  in  technical  agriculture  should  be  of  this 
grade,  but  if  they  are  offered  as  four-year  courses  leading  to  a  degree  they  must 
give  the  equivalent  amount  of  work  for  that  degree  or  lose  the  confidence  and 
support  of  educated  people  in  other  callings  and  professions. 

The  agricultural  side  of  technical  education  to  become  popular  and  meet  with 
success  must  have  the  support  of  the  most  intelligent  and  best  people  of  all 
classes.  It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  public  school  teachers,  professional 
men,  and  the  leaders  in  all  lines  of  learning  and  industry  shall  have  a  favor- 
able opinion  of  the  work  offered  in  these  courses.  They  can  know  but  little  in 
detail  of  the  work  offered,  but  they  can  and  do  know,  in  a  general  way,  whether 
the  institution  or  department  is  turning  out  men  who  are  prepared  to  rank  witli 
other  college  men  in  general  training  and  development,  and  who  are  able  to  fill 
well  the  positions  intrusted  to  their  care. 

To  gain  and  maintain  the  confidence  of  the  public  technical  courses  in  agri- 
culture should  be  clearly  outlined.  No  work  should  be  placed  in  a  course 
which  the  institution  is  not  prepared  and  ready  to  give.  It  is  pernicious  and 
dishonest  to  outline  subjects  and  courses  in  a  catalogue  or  yearbook  which  the 
professor  in  charge  knows  will  not  be  called  for  or  the  department  is  not  pre- 
pared to  give,  however  great  and  pressing  the  demand.  The  public  can  not  be 
long  misled  by  printed  outlines. 

The  object  of  each  course  should  be  clearly  stated.  There  is  a  useful  and 
legitimate  field  for  short  courses  and  special  courses  from  one  week  to  four 
years  in  length,  but  let  the  object  be  so  definitely  stated  and  the  work  so 
clearly  outlined  that  no  one  will  be  misled  thereby.  If  the  course  is  to  lead 
to  a  bachelor's  degree,  let  the  requirements  for  entrance  and  the  time  and  work 
required  be  such  as  to  compare  favorably  with  other  technical  courses  lead- 
ing  to  the  same  degree.  One  of  the  quickest  and  surest  ways  of  discrediting 
a  good  thing  is  to  make  it  cheap — cheap  in  the  sense  that  it  can  be  secured 
for  a  less  amount  of  time  or  labor  than  is  required  elsewhere  for  the  same 
article.  The  demand  for  a  cheap  article  in  education  comes  from  those  who 
usually  are  of  little  credit  to  an  institution  after  their  course  is  completed. 
The  good  students  are  not  looking  for  soft  snaps.  They  do  not  desire  to  enter 
the  course  which  requires  least  for  entrance  and  the  minimum  amount  of  work 
for  a  degree.  Many  good  men  have  been  lost  to  agriculture  because  they  were 
too  proud  to  enter  upon  a  course  of  study  tabooed  and  laughed  at  by  students 
in  other  departments,  largely  on  account  of  the  inferiority  of  the  work,  both 
in  quantity  and  quality,  as  compared  with  that  offered  in  other  departments. 
Happily  these  days  in  most  institutions  are  past. 

Courses  must  be  technical.  Their  object  is  to  impart  specific  information 
for  definite  ends.  General  culture  is  a  laudable  acquirement,  but  it  must  play 
a  secondary  part  in  technical  courses.  In  the  early  stages  of  agricultural 
education  courses  of  study  embraced  many  subjects  which,  while  good  in  them- 
selves, bear  no  close  relation  to  either  the  science  or  art  of  agriculture.  They 
must  give  way  to  subjects  which  are  more  specific  and  technical  in  character. 


108 

In   other   words,   technical   courses   in   agriculture  must  become   iu   character 

similar  to  the  courses  now  given  in  medicine,  law,  and  engineering. 
But  every  technical  subject  should  prove  its  worth  before  being  given  a  definite 

place  in  the  course.  A  small  section  only  of  the  great  sphere  of  knowledge 
can  become  a   part  of  the  curriculum.     The  man   in  charge  of  a  subject  is  not 

always  the  best  judge  as  to  the  prominence  such  subject  should  be  given  in  a 
course  of  study.  His  nearness  to  the  subject  usually  distorts  his  vision.  Better 
let  good  course-  in  advanced  English,  history,  and  political  economy  remain 
in  the  curriculum  for  the  present  rather  than  displace  them  tor  technical  courses 
which  are  half-baked,  poorly  arranged,  and  do  not  form  a  definite  and  impor- 
tant place  in  the  sequence  of  studies. 

Technical  courses  in  agriculture,  in  order  to  have  and  hold  the  respect  ami 
confidence  of  educators  and  educated  people,  must  be  in  charge  of  scholarly, 
well-trained  men.  These  men  must  compare  favorably  with  teachers  in  charge 
of  other  departments  of  college  work.  Narrow,  conceited  enthusiasts  may,  for 
a  short  time,  with  hobbies  which  in  themselves  are  good,  gain  the  attention  of 
the  public,  but  in  the  end  they  do  the  cause  of  agricultural  education  harm. 
Students,  even  more  than  the  public,  are  apt  to  measure  the  value  of  a  study 
by  the  scholarship,  dignity,  and  magnetism  of  the  man  who  imparts  said  infor- 
mation. There  is  a  proper  place  for  overalls  and  rubber  boots.  It  does  not 
lessen  a  man's  standing  or  dignity  to  wear  them  when  necessary,  but  there  is 
no  virtue  in  them  per  se.  The  class  room  for  students  in  practical  agriculture 
should  be  a  model  of  neatness,  cleanliness,  and  order.  It  should  ever  be  kept 
in  mind  that  the  first  object  of  education,  and  even  of  technical  education,  is 
to  make  men.  There  is  a  great  danger  that  too  much  emphasis  may  be  placed 
on  the  commercial  value  of  such  training.  A  distinguished  educator,  iu  lookiug 
over  the  equipment  of  an  agricultural  school  a  few  years  ago,  remarked  that 
everything  that  was  shown  him  and  every  word  said  by  those  in  charge  empha- 
sized the  opinion  that  the  sole  object  of  the  institution  was  "  to  teach  young 
men  how  to  grow  more  corn  to  feed  more  hogs,  to  buy  more  land  to  raise  more 
corn,  etc." 

Even  short-course  students  should  receive  some  intellectual  awakening.  They 
should  be  introduced  to  books  and,  if  possible,  led  to  see  that  "  we  live  in  deeds, 
not  years;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths;"  and  that  "he  most  lives  who  thinks 
most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best."  They  should  be  taught  that,  after  all, 
the  greatest  enjoyments  are  intellectual.  No  man  compelled  to  labor  for  a 
living,  as  we  all  are,  has  greater  opportunity  to  feed  his  intellect  from  the 
great  storehouses  of  science,  history,  and  literature  than  the  "  man  with  the 
hoe."  He  should  be  given  an  inspiration  to  look  up.  Hence  the  great  neces- 
sity that  teachers  of  agriculture  should  be  men  cf  broad  culture  and  inspiring 
personality.  They  should  know  much  more  than  the  subjects  which  they  are 
required  to  teach.  They  should  be  college-bred  men  in  the  fullest  and  broadest 
sense  of  the  term. 

It  is  to  be  very  much  regretted  that  so  many  able  teachers  of  agriculture 
seem  to  feel  that  they  must  make  their  reputation  outside  of  the  class  room. 
They  write  for  the  papers  or  carry  on  experimental  work,  while  the  students. 
who  have  been  attracted  to  the  college  largely  because  their  names  were  printed 
as  teachers  of  agriculture,  labor  on  under  the  instruction  of  young,  inexpe- 
rienced subordinates.  There  are  other  bright  young  men  iu  agriculture  who  are 
endeavoring  to  find  a  crosscut  road  to  success,  class-room  work  is  too  slow 
for  them.  They  seem  to  imagine  that  they  can,  through  the  agricultural  press, 
boost  themselves  into  notoriety  and  fame.  Very  short-sighted  policy.  The 
men  whose  good  opinion  and  confidence  they  must  secure  before  promotion 
comes  are  entirely  too  wise  to  be  misled  by  any  such  process.  Young  men 
must  learn  not  only  "  to  labor,"  but  "  to  wait." 

Again,  if  agricultural  education  is  to  attract  and  hold'the  attention  and  con- 
fidence of  educated  people,  it  must  be  accorded  equal  advantages  in  equipment 
and  buildings  with  the  other  departments  cf  the  colleges  or  universities.  A  good 
building  in  a  prominent  place  on  a  campus  has  a  great  influence  in  establishing 
in  the  minds  of  students  and  the  public  a  high  regard  for  the  department  so 
housed. 

In  most  States  it  has  been  very  difficult  to  provide  buildings  and  equip- 
ment necessary  to  meet  the  demands  made  by  those  desiring  higher 
education  along  the  older  and  established  lines  of  work.  As  there  were 
few  students  in  technical  agriculture,  buildings  were  erected  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  greatest  number.  Agriculture  usually  came  in  last  and 
got  little.     This  had  a  tendency  to  belittle  it  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  aud 


109 

worked  greal  injury  to  the  cause  of  agricultural  education,  it  is  not  the- 
function  of  a  university  or  college  maintained  by  taxation  to  simply  meet  the 
present  demands,  but  it  should  rather  stimulate  and  create  demands  for  such 
types  cf  education  us  shall  contribute  the  greatest  good  to  the  Commonwealth. 
As  the  industry  of  agriculture  is  fundamental,  and  as  our  Government,  In 
recognition  of  this  fact,  makes  annually  large  appropriations  for  agricultural 
education,  it  is  the  plain  and  Imperative  duty  of  all  land-rant  colleges  to  build 
iip  strong,  Independent  departments  of  agriculture  and  to  encourage  young  men 
in  every  way  possible,  even  to  the  remittance  of  fees,  to  make  a  thorough,  scien- 
tific study  of  this  subject  Short  courses  should  be  provided  for  those  unable 
to  take  the  longer  courses.  Through  the  experiment-station  bulletins  and 
farmers'  institutes,  knowledge  <  f  practical,  everyday  problems  should  be 
brought  home  to  the  farmer  who  is  unable  to  avail  himself  of  the  advantages 
offered  in  the  class  room. 

if  the  agricultural  department  of  a  university  or  the  state  agricultural  col- 
lege, in  equipment,  buildings,  teaching  force,  and  courses  of  study,  is  such  as 
to  command  the  respect  of  all  thinking  people,  how  can  the  Interest  in  and 
appreciation  for  the  work  of  this  institution  or  department  he  increased? 

It  was  the  Intention  of  the  writer  at  one  time  to  prepare  an  answer  t  )  this 
question  from  Information  furnished  by  the  various  institutions  engaged  in  this 
work.  But  after  preparing  a  blank  asking  for  specific  information  on  twelve 
or  fifteen  points,  it  came  to  his  attention  that  th'.'re  were  at  that  time  several 
such  blanks  on  his  desk  unanswered.  II is  heart  failed  him  and  he  decided,  even 
at  the  risk  of  unfavorable  comment,  to  give  briefly  the  methods  used  by  his  own 
institution  in  bringing  before  the  public,  and  the  farmers  in  particular,  the- 
advantages  that  institution  lias  to  offer  to  the  young  people  of  Michigan. 

It  may  be  proper  to  state  at  this  time  that  this  college  has  always  maintained 
very  friendly  relations  with  the  public  schools,  and  especially  the  high  schools 
of  the  State.  Members  of  the  faculty  belong  to  the  State  teachers'  association 
and  have  an  extensive  acquaintance  among  public  school  men.  This  has,  in 
many  ways,  contributed  to  the  growth  and  stability  of  the  college. 

For  advertising  purposes  $2,000  is  set  apart  each  year.  This  is  expended 
through  the  president's  office  and  almost  entirely  within  the  confines  of  the 
State.  Methods  differ  somewhat  from  year  to  year.  As  an  indication  of  the 
plan  ordinarily  pursued,  a  brief  outline  of  the  work  done  last  year  will  be 
given  : 

About  the  1st  of  January  the  college  calendar  was  issued.  This  gave  views 
of  buildings,  landscapes,  laboratories,  interior  views  of  laboratories,  etc.  An 
edition  of  6,000,  costing  about  $325,  was  distributed  to  all  the  high  schools  of 
the  State,  alumni,  newspapers,  State  officers,  country  ministers,  and  the  leading 
agriculturists  of  the  State.  The  college  has  issued  a  calendar  each  year  for 
the  past  seven  years  and  the  results  from  this  source  of  advertising  have  been 
\ery  satisfactory. 

The  college  issues  quarterly  bulletins  in  editions  of  from  5,000  to  10,000.  The 
first  edition  is  issued  in  February.  This  gives  the  programme  of  the  round-up 
farmers'  institute,  together  with  information  concerning  the  college,  and  espe- 
cially the  agricultural  department.  This  is  mailed  to  all  the  officers  of  the 
county  institute  societies  and  to  those  who  have  in  any  way  been  interested  in 
the  work  of  the  institutes,  also  to  other  prominent  farmers  throughout  the  State. 
The  proceedings  of  the  round-up  institute  are  printed  and  issued  as  a  supple- 
ment to  the  February  bulletin.  Ten  thousand  copies  are  in  this  way  distrib- 
uted among  the  farmers  of  the  State. 

The  May  bulletin  is  designed  to  give  information  to  young  people  who  may  be 
induced  to  enter  our  long  courses.  These  are  sent  to  the  members  of  the  senior 
class  of  each  high  school  of  the  State  and  to  several  thousand  other  young  people 
whose  names  we  have  collected  from  farmers'  chilis,  granges,  country  ministers, 
alumni,  old  students,  and  various  other  sources.  To  this  list  of  names  are  sent 
also  several  special  editions  of  our  college  paper,  including  the  commencement 
number. 

The  August  bulletin  is  also  sent  to  this  list  of  names,  as  well  as  to  all  likely 
to  be  interested  in  the  excursions  to  the  college.  It  gives  information  concern- 
ing these  excursions,  which  take  place  during  the  third  week  of  August.  Four 
railroads  enter  Lansing.  One  railroad  is  given  two  days  for  excursions,  the' 
other  three  one  day  each.  We  arrange  several  months  beforehand  with  each 
railroad,  having  an  understanding  as  to  the  territory  to  be  covered  and  the 
rates  to  be  charged.  The  railroad  furnishes  the  college  printed  matter  adver- 
tising the  excursions.     We  mail  this  to  all  the  granges,  farmers'  clubs,  post- 


110 

offices,  newspapers,  former  students,  and  prospective  students,  and  others  Inter- 
ested within  the  territory  to  be  covered  by  the  excursion.  As  one  railroad  has  a 
branch  leading  to  the  college,  these  excursion  trains  are  run  into  the  campus. 
We  send  student  guides  in  uniform  out  20  or  .';<>  miles  to  meet  the  trains  and 
distribute  little  maps  of  the  college  grounds  with  specific  information  as  to  what 
can  lie  seen  in  each  building.  Buildings  are  placarded  and  numbered.  There 
are  also  on  the  campus  a  number  of  students  in  uniform  ready  to  show  people 
about.  A  number  of  wagons  carry  visitors  through  the  experimental  plats  and 
orchards.  Every  department  Of  the  college  is  open  with  one  or  more  persons  in 
charge.  Sideshows,  agents,  and  fakirs  are  not  permitted  on  the  campus.  Meals 
are  furnished  on  the  grounds  at  reasonable  cost,  hut  the  visitors  bring  baskets 
of  food  with  them  and  eat  from  the  tables  provided  tinder  the  beautiful  shade 
trees.  These  excursions  are  patronized  almost  exclusively  by  farmers  and  their 
families.  Many  of  them  return  each  year  with  the  annual  excursion  and  always 
seem  to  he  much  interested.  About  s.<hmi  people  annually  visit  the  college  on 
these  occasions.  The  excursions  are  of  no  expense  to  the  college  except  the 
small  sum  paid  out  for  guides  and  a  little  printed  matter  and  postage.  Many 
students  who  expect  to  enter  take  advantage  of  these  excursions  to  visit  the  col- 
lege and  make  arrangements  for  rooms  and  hoard. 

Soon  after  the  fall  term  opens  arrangements  are  made  to  advertise  the  short 
courses  given  during  the  winter.  Names  are  gathered  from  the  farmers'  organi- 
zations, institute  workers,  census  enumerators,  crop  reporters,  creameries,  cheese 
factories,  and  old  students.  The  November  bulletin  gives  an  outline  of  the 
short  courses  and  all  information  desired  by  those  wishing  to  enter.  Ten  thou- 
sand copies  are  distributed  for  this  purpose.  Special  editions  of  the  college 
paper  are  also  mailed  to  prospective  short-course  students.  These  special 
courses  are  also  advertised  in  the  agricultural  papers  of  the  State  for  one  or 
two  months  during  the  fall.  The  long  courses,  during  the  summer  months,  are 
advertised  in  the  religious  papers  of  the  State. 

Occasionally  special  measures  are  taken  to  advertise  the  institution.  Recently 
200  Junior  Annuals  were  sent  to  as  many  of  the  best  high  school  libraries 
throughout  the  State.  Last  year  our  department  of  entomology  sent  to  each  of 
our  leading  high  schools  a  box  of  specimen  insects  valued  at  $10.  The  endeavor 
is  to  do  systematic,  careful,  conservative  advertising.  No  particular  subject  or 
department  is  boomed  at  the  expense  of  others :  no  member  of  the  faculty  is 
given  an  opportunity  to  boost  himself  and  his  department  unduly.  All  endeavor 
to  work  together  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  institution.  We  work  in  har- 
mony with  the  other  institutions  of  the  State.  We  are  within  the  shadow  of 
one  of  the  great  universities  of  the  country,  having  at  present  in  its  campus 
over  4,000  students.  This  greatly  increases  the  difficulty  of  securing  students, 
yet  we  have  all  and  even  more  than  we  can  take  care  of  properly  with  our 
present  equipment.  We  hold  strictly  to  the  technical  idea.  Every  male  student 
is  required  to  take  either  agriculture  or  engineering.  We  do  not  offer  literary, 
classical,  or  general  science  courses.  We  advise  students  desiring  such  work  to 
attend  some  other  institution. 

We  try  to  show  in  our  work  and  in  our  advertising  that  we  have  faith  in  agri- 
culture and  in  agricultural  education.  We  plead  for  a  higher  ideal  and  a 
higher  life  for  the  tillers  of  the  soil.  We  believe  that  this  uplift  will  only  come 
through  education. 

There  is  one  line  of  work  not  touched  upon  in  this  paper  which  would 
undoubtedly  do  much  to  arouse  interest  in  agricultural  education — namely,  that 
of  the  teaching  of  nature  study  or  elementary  agriculture  in  our  public  schools. 
The  experiences  so  far  in  this  direction  are  not  very  encouraging.  It  will  take  a 
long  time  to  make  elementary  agriculture  or  nature  study  a  component  part  of 
public  school  work.  It  calls  for  a  class  of  instruction  which  is  far  beyond  the 
ordinary  teacher  of  a  public  school.  The  time  may  come,  however,  when 
teachers  for  this  work  will  be  thoroughly  trained  and  will  be  able  to  arouse 
interest  in  students  such  as  will  prompt  them  to  attend  the  higher  institutions 
of  technical  training. 

What  can  and  should  be  done  to  further  agricultural  education? 

(1)  Make  our  agricultural  schools  and  colleges  such  as  to  draw  the  young 
people  from  the  farm. 

(2)  Encourage  and  assist  in  the  introduction  of  elementary  agriculture  into 
our  district  schools. 

(.'{»  Encourage  the  establishing  of  country  high  schools  in  which  the  teaching 
of  agriculture  will  be  a  prominent  factor. 


Ill 

(4)  Impress  upon  the  public,  and  particularly  the  rural  population,  through 
the  press,  from  the  platform,  and  in  every  other  effective  way.  not  only  the  great 
advantages  of  technical  training  in  agriculture;  bul  also  the  freeiimn  and 
pleasures  of  country  life. 

We  should  remember  that  it  has  taken  many,  many  years  to  develop  The 
strum,'  sentiment  which  prevails  everywhere  in  favor  of  higher  education.  The 
pulpit,  the  press,  and  every  Intelligent  force  has  heen  emphasizing  the  advan- 
tages of  higher  education  for  centuries  It  may  take  many  years  to  develop 
among  the  farmers  of  this  country  a  strong  sentiment  in  favor  of  agricultural 
education.  We  should  feel  encouraged  with  the  results  so  far.  What  other 
greal  educational  movement  has  made  such  rapid  strides?  The  outlook  is 
hopeful.     Let  us  not  grow  weary  in  welldoing. 

E.  Davenport,  of  Illinois.  It  is  pretty  well  understood,  and  has  been  f<>v  a 
good  many  years,  that  the  technical  portions  of  the  courses  in  our  agricultural 
colleges  are  not  quite  so  interesting  to  students  as  some  other  subjects  taught. 
This  has  been  due  in  many  cases  to  the  lack  of  men  to  properly  develop  the 
subject  of  agriculture,  although  the  idea  that  the  difficulty  of  giving  good 
instruction  in  agriculture  is  due  to  the  nature  of  the  subject  has  not  entirely 
passed  away.  The  organization  lists  of  the  land-grant  colleges  show  a  tre 
mendous  difference  in  the  number  of  instructors  in  agriculture,  the  figures 
varying  from  two-thirds  of  a  man  to  over  20  men  in  different  institutions. 
So  far  as  I  know  the  interest  in  agriculture  in  these  institutions  on  the  part 
of  the  student  is  about  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  men  who  are  teaching 
the  subject.  Excluding  household  science,  which  is  hardly  in  the  field  we 
are  discussing,  the  college  of  agriculture  of  the  University  of  Illinois  offers 
73  courses  in  agriculture.  Of  these,  67  different  courses  are  actually  taught 
this  year.  The  proportion  of  technical  to  nontechnical  work  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  interests  of  the  student.  I  think  we  ought  to  con- 
sider whether  a  student  should  spend  one-half  or  one-fourth  of  his  time  in  agri- 
culture. In  our  institution  we  expect  him  to  spend  one-half  his  time  in  this 
subject,  but  our  object  is  to  teach  subjects,  not  to  conduct  students  through  set 
courses,  the  student  making  up  his  course  of  study  out  of  courses  of  instruction 
offered  by  the  institution.  The  students  demand  these  specialized  courses,  and 
are  demanding  that  they  shall  be  still  more  specialized.  We  used  to  have  a 
subject  we  called  stock  judging,  in  which  the  student  was  to  judge  horses  a 
while,  then  cattle,  then  sheep,  and  then  hogs,  and  we  thought  that  was  a  proper 
unit.  We  learned  that  some  students  were  especially  interested  in  one  kind 
of  animal  and  not  in  the  other  kinds,  and  so  we  divided  the  subject.  We  put 
the  light  horses  in  a  class  different  from  the  heavy  horses,  the  beef  cattle 
different  from  the  dairy  cattle,  and  we  separated  the  sheep  and  hogs.  We 
have  men  following  each  subject.  To  a  man  who  is  to  be  a  producer  of  beef 
or  a  breeder  of  beef  cattle  information  about  dairy  cattle  is  the  veriest  rubbish. 
Technical  instruction  to  be  of  any  consequence  or  interest  to  the  student  must 
he  directly  applicable  to  the  business  in  hand.  The  student  ought  not  to  be 
required  to  waste  his  time  with  the  kind  of  technical  instruction  which  is  of  no 
nse  to  him.  It  is  our  purpose,  therefore,  to  so  shape  the  courses  that  each 
student  shall  get  the  particular  kind  of  technical  instruction  he  wants  or  needs 
for  a  definite  line  of  work.  The  problem  before  all  of  us  is  to  so  man  the  agri- 
cultural departments  that  we  can  not  only  teach  the  stock  knowledge  we  have 
in  hand  at  the  present  time,  but  can  develop  new  sources  of  information.  The 
unit  is  the  subject  to  be  taught,  and  not  the  numbers  to  be  taught.  If  the  agri- 
culture is  simple  it  takes  fewer  men.  but  if  it  is  mixed  it  will  take  many  men. 
It  will  take  men  enough  to  develop  the  subject,  irrespective  of  the  students. 
^Ve  now  have  more  teachers  of  agriculture  than  we  had  students  five  years  ago. 
And  the  contention  was  then  we  did  not  need  any  instructors  until  we  had  more 
students.  I  said,  we  will  never  have  more  students  until  we  have  more  instruc- 
23880— No.  153—05  li 8 


112 

tors.    The  moment  we  doubled  our  Instructors  we  doubled  our  students,  and  so 
it  will  be  everywhere.    These  students  know  what  they  want  better  than  we  do. 
For  years  we  temporized  with  the  matter  because  we  thought  if  we  bad  few- 
student^  we  only  needed  a  few  instructors,     it  is  as  much  trouble  to  teach  one 
as  a  hundred.    When  I  was  a  student  of  agriculture  there  was  wry  little  litera- 
ture and  no  bulletins,     if  you  bad  had  20  professors  of  agriculture  twenty  years 
ago  there  would  have  been,  apparently,  a  great  waste  i  f  money,  and  yet  we 
would  have  got  along  much  faster  if  we  bad  been  able  t->  increase  our  numbers 
earlier.     I  read  a  report  on  household  science  the  other  day.  written  by  a  body 
of  intelligent  women,  who  undertook  to  say  that  household  scienee  some  day 
would  be  a  great  subject  in  universities,  but  that  no  subject  could  be  attempted 
by  a  great  university  until  it  could  go  in  with  all  the  dignity  of  any  other  sub- 
ject and  be  as  well  taught  as  any  other  subject,  and  I  said  it  would  never  get 
into  the  university  then.     Agriculture  would  never  have  gotten  into  any  uni- 
versity  or  college   if   it   had   not   begun   until    it   was   perfected.      I    am   of   the 
opinion  that   it  is   in  the  universities  of  to-day  that   agriculture   has   the  best 
opportunity,  because  the  theory  of  the  university  is  that  every  department  in  it 
may  offer  all  the  courses  that  the  genius  of  its  men  will  permit,  that  the  depart- 
ment may  do  just  as  much  in  the  way  of  expansion  and  in  the  way  of  courses 
as  the  money  at  its  command  will  make  possible.     The  theory  of  the  college  is, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  there  is  a  set  course,  and  when  the  course  is  full  there 
is  no  chance  for  expansion.     That  is  likely  to  be  true  of  the  independent  agri- 
cultural college.     As  a  rule  colleges  have  set  courses,  and  as  a  rule  universities 
do  not.     Until  agriculture  can  have  in  the  colleges  of  agriculture  that  are  dis- 
tinct from  universities  the  same  opportunity  for  extension  or  subdivision  as 
there  is  in  universities  generally   it  will  be  hampered  in  its  development.     I 
believe  that  every  institution,  whether  a  university  or  college  of  agriculture, 
should  give  the  agricultural  department  every  opportunity  to  divide  and  sub- 
divide, and  supply  it  with  plenty  of  men  and  money.     In  the  agricultural  col- 
leges there  must  be  almost  unlimited  election  in  agriculture,  because  such  tech- 
nical work  must  be  elective.     Agriculture,  in  order  to  prosper,  must  have  almost 
unlimited  means,  unlimited  numbers  of  men.  and  unlimited  privileges. 

W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota.  You  say  you  divide  the  work  about  half  and  half. 
How  do  you  arrange  this? 

Mr.  Davenport.  If  a  man  graduates  from  our  university  be  takes  certain  pre- 
scribed studies.  Those  are  arranged  so  that  half  are  agriculture  and  the  other 
half  not  agriculture.  He  has  about  one-fifth  of  his  time  to  use  as  he  pleases. 
He  can  make  it  a  little  more  than  half  technical,  or  he  can  make  it  exactly  half 
technical.  We  distribute  the  technical  from  the  first  year  until  the  last.  The 
student  takes  some  agriculture  from  the  first.  Our  courses  are  so  arranged  that 
if  the  student  follows  our  advice  he  begins  agriculture,  science,  and  literature 
when  he  enters  the  university. 

Mr.  Bailey.  There  is  a  point  of  view  which  I  would  like  to  suggest,  which  I 
think  marks  a  wide  difference  between  the  practice  of  the  agricultural  college 
of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  some  of  the  other  institutions  of  similar  grade, 
and  that  is  whether  some  of  these  courses,  looked  upon  as  more  directly  pro- 
fessional, are  not  fitting  men  for  rather  narrowly  specialized  vocations  in  life, 
whereas  others  of  us  are  teaching  broad  agricultural  courses,  which  are  intended 
to  fit  a  man  for  the  undertaking  of  the  larger  affairs  of  agriculture  and  of 
country  living.  In  our  own  college  of  agriculture  we  do  not  expect  to  fit  a  man 
for  the  technical  work  of  stock  judging,  or  the  technical  work  of  corn  breeding, 
so  much  as  we  do  to  educate  the  man  and  to  fit  him  to  be  a  strong  and  resource- 
ful man  and  able  to  take  up  any  particular  kind  of  work  be  wishes  to  later  in 
life. 


in 

Mr.  Davenpobt.  i  may  say  that  In  the  University  of  Illinois  the  college  of 
agriculture  is  not  a  technical  college  In  the  sense  tin-  engineering  college  is. 
An  engineering  course  is  an  absolutely  set  course,  and  has  little  or  no  time  for 
the  language,  literature,  and  other  of  the  nontechnical  subjects  which  are 
required  for  graduation  in  the  agricultural  course.  The  demand  for  engineering 
students  is  so  large,  the  public  calls  for  so  much  technical  information  at  once 
upon  graduation,  that  they  are  compelled  to  devote  practically  all  the  time  of 
the  college  course  to  strictly  technical  training. 

Mr.  iiknuy.  Assuming  it  is  righl  to  train  an  engineer  thai  way,  I  think  the 
same  is  true  of  agriculture.  The  engineering  course  has  been  longer  in  develop- 
ing and  has  had  more  highly  trained  men  than  agriculture. 

The  Chairman.  It  is  not  necessary  to  success  in  agriculture  that  a  man  should 
have  the  same  training  that  is  required  in  engineering.  You  all  know  very  well 
that  there  are  hundreds  of  farmers  making  a  good  living  and  making  money  who 
have  had  no  technical  training  in  school  at  all.  and  there  are  going  to  be  such 
men  for  a  good  many  years  to  come.  That  is.  the  conditions  are  such  in  agri- 
culture in  this  country  that  an  -uneducated  farmer  can  acquire  land,  make 
money,  and  succeed  at  farming.  That  can  not  be  done  in  engineering.  Neither 
is  it  profitable  to  give  him  training  in  engineering  of  the  brief  superficial  kind 
which  you  can  give  men  in  these  technical  courses  of  agriculture.  You  can  not 
accomplish  successful  engineering  training  without  a  good  many  years  of  mathe- 
matics. Mathematics  is  not  required  to  get  a  degree  in  agriculture.  So  that  I 
should  say  that  a  professional  course  of  study  in  engineering  involves  a  good 
deal  of  well-defined  and  clear-cut  training,  but  that  the  course  in  agriculture  is 
not  yet  on  the  basis  of  the  professional  course,  although  it  is  technical.  I  make 
That  distinction.  The  trend  of  the  discussion  seems  to  be  that  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  put  the  same  amount  of  training  into  the  engineer  that  it  was  into  the 
agriculturist,  in  order  that  he  may  meet  the  demands  of  the  day,  but  I  do  not 
agree  with  that,  because  the  farmer  can  meet  the  demands  of  the  day  and  not 
have  a  bit  of  training,  and  there  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  farmers  doing 
that  every  day ;  but  there  are  not  many  successful  engineers  who  have  not  had 
a  pretty  thorough  training. 

Deans  Henry  and  Davenport  dissented  from  the  position  that  untrained 
farmers  are  succeeding  in  any  proper  sense  or  complying  with  the  condition  of 
good  agricultural  practice,  that  they  shall  occupy  the  land  and  leave  it  as  good 
as  they  found  it. 

Mr.  Henry.  The  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  valleys  have  been  practically 
ruined  in  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years.  The  State  of  New  York  has  areas  in  it 
that  have  been  robbed  of  their  fertility  by  improvident  culture.  In  Europe  I 
have  traveled  over  lands  that  were  probably  cultivated  in  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar,  and  I  saw  wheat  there  yielding  as  high  as  GO  bushels  to  the  acre.  In 
America  we  have  skimmed  over  the  land  and  taken  the  best  of  its  fertility. 
People  buy  land  and  when  they  ruin  it,  or  get  it  up  to  a  certain  price,  they  go  to 
another  place.  This  is  due  both  to  lack  of  technical  training,  and  to  the  business 
idea  of  getting  the  money  out  of  the  land  and  leaving  it. 

It  will  be  found,  I  think,  that  the  unschooled  men  who  are  making  a  success 
of  farming  are  nevertheless  self-educated  men,  and  in  a  way  are  as  well  edu- 
cated as  the  engineer  is. 

Mr.  Davenport.  The  engineer  has  got  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  trade.  The 
farmer  also  has  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  trade,  and  in  addition  he  has  to  meet 
a  certain  demand  of  the  State.  This  generation  of  farmers  must  not  be  per- 
mitted to  occupy  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  oncoming  generation.  There  is  a 
broader  demand  on  the  farmer  than  rests  upon  the  engineer. 


114 

C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa.  I  believe  that  in  our  agricultural  work  we  are  tending 
strongly  toward  training  the  fanner  the  same  as  we  do  the  engineer.  Wo  are 
loading  our  courses  of  study  up  with  more  and  more  technical  work  every  year. 
We  are  going  to  be  very  soon  on  practically  the  same  basis.  It  is  true  we  have 
not  had  that  heretofore;  we  were  not  in  position  to  get  it;  we  did  not  have  the 
technical  men  in  our  faculty.  The  conditions  are  getting  to  be  such  that  the 
young  farmer  is  going  to  be  obliged  more  and  more  largely  each  year  to  sell  his 
services  on  the  market,  just  as  the  young  engineer  does.  I  think  less  than  50 
per  cent  of  our  agricultural  students  are  in  such  circumstances  that  they  can 
return  to  farms  of  their  own  proprietorship,  or  likely  to  come  to  them  by  inher- 
itance. There  is  going  to  be  an  increasing  demand  for  the  young  men  who  have 
had  the  thorough  technical  and  practical  training  which  renders  them  capable 
of  taking  charge  of  a  farm,  as  an  engineer  takes  charge  of  a  plant,  and  making 
it  a  profitable  investment  for  the  owner.  The  demand  is  more  largely  for  thor- 
ough training  in  agriculture.  And  I  believe  we  are  going  to  load  up  our  courses 
(and  some  of  the  institutions  have  already  encountered  the  difficulty)  so  fully 
with  agriculture  that  there  will  not  be  room  for  mathematics,  science,  and  the 
culture  studies.  These  studies  are  giving  way  and  must  give  way  more  largely 
in  the  future  than  they  have  in  the  past  to  technical  agricultural  studies. 

Mr.  Bailey.  To  all  requests  for  men  to  take  charge  of  large  agricultural 
enterprises  I  always  reply  that  we  can  not  send  recent  college  graduates  to  fill 
such  positions.  That  is  not  the  way  the  agricultural  student  is  trained  The 
engineering  enterprises  are  organized  enterprises.  The  young  man  goes  to  do  a 
special  piece  of  work  under  direction,  whereas  the  agricultural  student  who 
takes  charge  of  a  250-acre  orchard,  for  example,  not  only  has  to  direct  the 
technical  work  of  spraying,  etc.,  but  he  has  to  do  with  the  management  of 
men  and  other  executive  details,  and  that  demands  experience.  The  engineer 
who  is  the  manager  of  men  is  the  one  who  has  been  out  of  college  two  or  three 
years,  and  therefore  has  had  experience  in  the  management  of  men. 

I  sometimes  wonder,  when  we  are  splitting  up  our  agricultural  courses  into 
small  units,  whether  we  are  not  overloading  them  with  very  minute  divisions 
of  subjects  and  are  not  likely  to  substitute  training  for  education,  mere  tech- 
nical, manual,  and  special  skill  for  real  mental  power. 

So  far  as  we  have  organized  industries  in  agriculture,  as  we  have  in  engineer- 
ing, I  think  the  educational  demands  are  parallel  to  a  large  extent,  and  the 
experience  of  the  engineer  is  useful  to  us.  So  long  as  the  larger  part  of  the 
subject  of  agriculture  is  unorganized,  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  adopt  the  kind 
of  training  the  engineer  receives.  I  suppose,  as  time  goes  on,  we  shall  find 
increasing  demand  for  particular  and  technical  special  lines  of  training  for  the 
agricultural  man. 

J.  L.  Snyder,  of  Michigan.  The  inference  which  could  be  drawn  from  the 
remarks  made  might  lead  one  to  think  that  the  engineering  courses  were  almost 
entirely  technical  and  that  our  agricultural  courses  were  at  least  half  liberal 
or  included  subjects  that  would  give  discipline.  We  all  know  that  our  engineer- 
ing courses  are  exceedingly  strong  in  mathematics,  and  we  also  know  that  the 
disciplinary  value  of  mathematics  is  very  great.  In  addition  to  that,  engineer- 
ing students  must  have  a  good  knowledge  of  English.  If  they  do  not  have  it 
when  they  enter  the  school,  they  must  get  it  afterwards.  Engineering  gradu- 
ates are  well  trained  in  English.  They  must  also  have  considerable  science 
work.  On  the  whole,  our  engineering  courses  give  very  good  disciplinary  train- 
ing. On  the  other  hand,  if  we  make  our  courses  in  agriculture  thoroughly 
technical,  we  lose  the  disciplinary  ^alue  that  is  attached  to  the  courses  of 
engineering.  If  we  divide  up  our  courses  in  agriculture  as  finely  as  some  have 
recommended,  I  think  that  to  a  large  extent  the  disciplinary  value  will  be  lost, 


115 

and  we  can  aol  afford  to  do  that  First  <>t'  all,  we  must  have  men  of  some 
power.    A  man  may  know  all  about  agriculture,  or  certain  subjects  in  agri 

culture,  and  still  be  so  lacking  in  power  as  to  be  worthless.  We  must  not  forget 
that,  when  we  divide  up  our  courses  m  agriculture  into  such  small  fragmentary 

pieces,  we  lose  the  continuity  of  study  and  that  <-los<-  application  a  Student 
must  give,  for  example,  in  preparing  his  work  in  mathematics.  We  throw  away 
the  great  value  dt  our  enlarged  courses,  and  we  can  not  afford  to  grant  degrees 
on  any  slipshod  or  fragmentary  course  of  instruction  which  fails  to  give  the 
great  power  and  development   that  comes  from  a  good  four  years'  college  course. 

Mr.  Bailey.  You  would  distinguish,  then,  as  I  understand,  between  the  train- 
ing-apprenticeship idea  and  the  pedagogical  idea  as  the  result  in  teaching? 

Mr.  Snyder,  res,  sir. 

Mr.  CUBTISS.  Do  you  not  think  that  a  student  who  thoroughly  masters  these 
technical  subjects  from  start  to  finish  gains  power  by  it'.' 

Mr.  SNYDER.  That  depends  very  largely  on  how  they  pre  taught.  I  do  think 
that  technical  subjects  can  he  presented  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  power,  but  I 
fear  that  if  a  student  is  allowed  to  enter  college  and  select  his  work  wherever 
he  pleases  and  whatever  he  pleases  that  he  will  lose  to  a  great  extent  that  val- 
uable training  he  would  get  from  a  systematic  course  laid  out  by  an  older  head 
than  his  own.  He  must  have  a  certain  amount  of  English  and  a  certain  amount 
of  science  work  back  of  his  training.  It  is  usually  better  to  have  the  scientific 
training  first.  At  one  time  we  thought  that  the  only  way  to  do  was  to  give  the 
science  first  and  the  practical  part  afterwards.  Now  that  view  has  changed 
largely,  and  in  a  great  deal  of  our  work  I  think  the  two  come  pedagogically 
together.  But  the  student  must  have  a  scientific  basis  for  his  technical  work, 
for  the  latter  is  not  all  art :  there  is  a  science  behind  it,  and  if  he  is  going  to 
receive  thorough  training  he  must  have  a  foundation  in  science.  I  do  not 
believe  he  can  receive  such  an  education  as  we  expect  four-year  men  to  have, 
the  men  who  receive  a  degree  without  thorough  training  in  chemistry,  physics, 
and  the  other  natural  sciences.  I  do  not  believe  you  can  give  a  man  an  educa- 
tion which  would  entitle  him  to  a  degree  simply  by  giving  him  the  art  without 
giving  him  the  sciences. 

Mr.  Davenport.  But  is  there  not  science  in  the  subject  itself  if  it  is  well 
studied  and  well  taught? 

Mr.  Sxydkr.  I  think  a  great  deal  of  this  technical  work  could  not  claim  to  be 
strictly  scientific.  Of  course  it  may  be  based  on  scientific  principles,  but  if  the 
student  is  not  familiar  with  the  sciences,  he  simply  commits  the  definitions  as 
based  on  science. 

Mr.  Curtiss.  I  wish  to  distinguish  between  splitting  up  a  course  into  small 
fragments  and  concentration.  I  think  that  distinction  should  be  clearly  made. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  animal-husbandry  training  given  in  our  own  institution. 
We  have  separated  the  animal-husbandry  training  from  the  other  training  and 
established  an  animal-husbandry  course.  We  have  supplemented  it  with  the 
scientific  training  that  bears  on  the  subject.  We  have  also  established  a  course 
in  horticulture,  reenforced  with  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  science  which 
bears  on  horticulture,  and  so  with  all  of  our  courses.  Instead  of  splitting  up 
into  fragments,  we  have  concentrated  and  strengthened  the  courses  to  the 
largest  possible  extent.  As  regards  training,  force,  and  power.  I  do  not  believe 
the  students  have  suffered  by  that  kind  of  concentration  where  the  subjects  are 
properly  related  and  the  underlying  sciences  taught.  In  our  institution  the 
engineering  courses  are  concentrated  and  rigid,  and  we  are  making  our  agri- 
cultural courses  more  and  more  of  that  type  each  year.  The  engineering  courses 
have  but  very  little  of  the  general  culture  studies,  the  agricultural  students 


116 

have  less  of  mathematics,  but  they  have  more  of  the  sciences,  and  they  have  the 
technical  studies  which  closely  border  on  sciences  when  taught  properly. 

Mr.  Davenport.  1  believe  thoroughly  that  there  is  a  scientific  way  to  teach 
agriculture  when  we  can  find  it.     It  is  unscientific,  I  believe,  to  say  to  a  man 

who  wants  to  study  beef  cattle  that  he  must  first  study  sheep.  We  must  try 
to  meet  the  demand  scientifically.  Find  the  unit  in  his  mind  and  meet  it  with 
the  unit  instruction.  Concentration  is  the  object  sought,  but  let  the  technical 
training  be  done  in  the  most  scientific  way  possible  of  course,  if  the  student 
changes  his  plans,  the  special  information  will  be  useless,  and  whether  he 
changes  his  plans  or  not  much  of  the  information  employed  in  the  instruction 
will  l>e  discounted  in  a  few  years,  but  the  training  he  receives,  the  attitude  of 
mind,  the  ability  to  think  and  carry  out  a  thing  to  its  issue,  will  remain  with 
him.  The  pedagogic  idea  is  the  main  idea  in  it.  If  the  student  has  announced 
his  desire  to  study  beef  cattle.  I  should  get  him  among  the  animals  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  should  let  him  understand  he  is  studying  beef  cattle  at  once,  but  I 
should  advise  him  to  study  chemistry  at  the  same  time.  We  require  a  year  and 
a  half  chemistry  before  the  student  can  study  stock  feeding.  The  moment  he 
announces  his  desires  we  begin  to  frame  up  his  course  of  study,  and  he  works 
the  whole  thing  together. 

Mr.  Henry  referred  to  the  rapidity  of  the  growth  of  specialization  in  teaching 
agriculture  since  the  agricultural  colleges  were  first  organized,  and  to  his  be- 
lief from  the  beginning  that  this  would  be  the  tendency. 

After  some  further  discussion  the  section  on  college  work  and  administration 
adjourned. 


SECTION  ON  EXPERIMENT  STATION  WORK. 


Afternoon  Session.  Tuesday.  November  1.  1904. 

The  section  convened  at  2.15  p.  in..  Chairman  E.  H.  Jenkins  presiding. 
On  motion,  the  section  resolved  to  have  but  two  afternoon  meetings,  viz.  on 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday  afternoons. 

Organization  of  a  Section  on  Botany  and  Horticulture. 

The  communication  of  F.  L.  Stevens,  of  North  Carolina,  filing  an  application 
from  botanists  and  horticulturists,  requesting  that  one  of  the  sections  of  the 
association  be  devoted  to  their  interests,  was  referred  to  the  section  for  consid- 
eration. 

On  this  subject  L.  H.  Pammel.  of  Iowa,  said : 

I  had  an  invitation  from  Professors  Stevens  and  Rane  to  prepare  a  paper  for 
this  meeting.  I  was  urged  to  be  present  to  present  a  paper  because  on  the 
interest  manifested  in  the  work  would  depend  the  organization  of  this  section. 
I  favor  the  creation  of  such  a  section,  but  I  must  confess  the  sectional  meetings 
have  not  been  entirely  successful.  I  have  attended  five  or  six  meetings  of  this 
association,  but  at  none  of  these  meetings  did  we  have  a  large  attendance  of 
botanists  and  horticulturists.  Inasmuch  as  this  convention  is  largely  a  delegate 
convention,  it  seems  to  me  it  is  rather  expecting  too  much  to  have  the  station 
workers  attend  and  pay  their  own  expenses.  It  seems  to  me.  however,  that  the 
station  botanists  and  horticulturists  have  the  right  to  know  something  about  the 
working  policies  of  the  institution,  as  these  are  the  matters  most  discussed. 
Under  present  circumstances  you  can  never  expect  a  large  attendance  from  the 
station  workers,  outside  of  the  director  and  president,  who  should  by  all  means 
attend. 

On  motion  of  W.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York,  the  application  was  not  granted. 


117 
Federation  oi   Agricctlturai   Organizations. 

On  motion  of  H.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island,  the  chair  waa  empowered  to 
appoinl  ;i  committee  of  three  t<>  Recure,  If  possible,  a  federatloo  of  agricultural 
organizationa  in  the  Individual  States  of  the  Union. 

The  chairman  appointed  on  this  committee  II.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  island; 
C.  l>.  Woods,  of  Maine,  and  11.  .J.  Patterson,  of  Maryland. 

Uniformity  of  Terms  Used  in  .\<.ki<  i  lti  ral  Analysis. 

Attention  was  called  to  the  fad  that  the  genera]  session  of  the  association  had 
referred  to  this  section  the  subject  of  nomenclature  Cor  fertilizer  constituents. 

It  was  moved  by  C.  G.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  and  seconded  by  0.  B.  Thorne,  of 
Ohio,  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  consider  the  nomenclature  for 
reporting  the  analysis  of  fertilizers,  soils,  plants,  and  other  agricultural  products 
and  materials;  that  this  committee  should  confer  with  a  similar  committee  from 
the  Association  of  Official  Agricultural  Chemists,  and  rei>ort  to  this  section  at 
the  next  annual  meeting. 

The  chairman  appointed  on  this  committee  C  G.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois;  H.  J. 
Wheeler,  of  Rhode  Island;  A.  T.  Neale,  of  Delaware;  K.  J.  Davidson,  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  H.  Snyder,  of  Minnesota. 

Plant  Breeding — The  Shakespeare  of  the  Species. 

W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota,  read  a  paper  on  this  subject  which  was  subse- 
quently withdrawn. 

B.  C.  Buffum.  of  Wyoming.  One  point  brought  out  in  the  paper  so  ably  pre- 
sented by  Professor  Hays  it  seems  to  me  was  not  given  sufficient  weight.  In 
fact,  he  stated  that  a  variety  of  apple  was  practically  the  same  in  any  section 
in  which  it  is  grown. 

The  modifying  influence  of  environment  is  very  great.  It  is  perhaps  more 
.strongly  marked  in  the  comparatively  new  arid  region  which  I  represent.  In 
fact,  my  observation  would  lead  me  to  suspect  that  the  same  "  homozygotes  " 
may  have  produced  both  the  white  man  and  the  black  man.  A  species  supposedly 
hxed  by  careful  and  long-continued  breeding  when  transferred  to  an  environ- 
ment very  different  from  that  under  which  it  was  formed  soon  becomes  unrecog- 
nizable. I  knew  a  case  a  short  time  ago  of  an  apple  which  belongs  to  Professor 
Hay's  species  of  the  first  class  having  no  immediate  modifying  blood  strains, 
as  it  is  only  a  part  of  the  parent,  that  was  purchased  by  a  western  nurseryman 
from  a  firm  in  Missouri.  The  trees  were  sold  to  a  farmer,  and  in  five  or  six 
years,  when  they  began  to  bear,  the  farmer  sent  samples  of  fruit  back  to  the 
nurseryman  to  be  named.  He  did  not  recognize  the  variety  and  sent  the  fruit 
to  the  Missouri  firm.  who.  in  turn,  could  not  name  the  variety.  It  was  sent  to 
Mr.  Taylor,  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  who  reported  that  the  apple 
must  have  been  a  Missouri  Pippin,  but  its  variation  had  made  it  almost  im- 
possible to  recognize  any  characteristics  of  the  variety. 

The  hard  wheat  when  taken  to  the  arid  region  from  Minnesota  begins  to 
vary  quite  quickly,  and  in  a  few  years  the  kernels  of  grain  become  very  differ- 
ent. There  seems  to  be  a  tendency  on  our  arid  soils,  poor  in  nitrogen  for  gluten- 
ous  wheats,  to  become  starchy,  and  many  of  the  grains  take  on  a  white,  starchy 
appearance. 

In  live  stock  the  same  thing  pertains.  A  son  of  Corrector  which  has  been 
bred  for  heavy  meat  points  in  the  chine  and  twist,  if  taken  away  from  the  corn- 
cribs  and  placed  on  a  western  range  will  begin  to  develop  a  form  more  nearly 


118 

corresponding  to  the  American  bison  which  formerly  occupied  the  ranges.  He 
becomes  heavy  In  front  and  light  behind. 

What  has  been  gained  by  breeding  in  one  place  may  be  quickly  lost  under 
changes  of  environment  and  state.  This  is  one  of  the  strongest  arguments  for 
the  maintenance  Of  experiment  stations  in  the  several  States,  where  work  can 
be  done  suitable  and  valuable  to  the  different  regions  of  the  country.  In  order 
that  the  farmers  can  make  intelligent  use  of  the  results  of  our  breeding  they 
must  be  informed  of  its  importance  and  learn  to  select,  in  order  to  keep  up  the 
improvement.  In  general,  undirected  variation  brings  about  deterioration. 
Varieties  do  not  stand  still,  whether  or  not  they  are  being  acted  upon  by  the 
powerful  forces  used  in  artificial  direction  of  breeding,  and  every  farmer  should 
be  well  enough  grounded  in  the  simpler  principles  at  least  to  enable  him  to  make 
continued  use  of  an  improvement. 

L.  II.  Pammel,  of  Iowa.  A  number  of  years  ago  I  had  the  good  fortune  to 
have  taken  up  this  question  of  varieties  of  fruits.  I  was  astonished  to  find  the 
effect  that  climate  has  upon  the  development  of  fruit.  The  Duchess  grown  in 
Montreal  is  very  different  from  the  Duchess  grown  in  Iowa.  The  Montreal 
apple  was  far  superior  in  quality.  Again,  I  found  that  apples  succeeded  best  or 
had  the  highest  quality  when  grown  where  they  had  originated.  Thus,  such 
varieties  as  Spitzenburg.  Baldwin,  Grimes  Golden,  and  others  have  a  limited 
distribution  where  they  attain  the  best  quality.  I  was  astonished  last  summer 
to  find  in  Montana  that  apples  succeeded  in  regions  where  frequent  frosts  occur. 
In  fact  I  was  told  that  in  the  Bitter  Root  Valley  on  one  of  the  streams  they  had 
set  out  an  orchard  of  fruit  trees  above  3,000  feet  altitude,  where  frosts  occur 
nearly  every  week  in  the  year.  But  take  another  side  of  the  question,  and  that 
is  an  important  one  to  consider  in  connection  with  the  breeding  of  varieties. 
Take  the  variety  of  wheat  that  Professor  Hays  has  produced  in  Minnesota.  This 
variety  has  produced  an  increased  yield  in  Minnesota,  but  the  same  variety  tried 
in  the  State  of  Iowa  did  not  show  this  increase  in  yield.  Again  we  all  know 
that  plants  when  grown  in  climates  not  adapted  to  them  begin  to  show  the 
effects  of  disease.  Some  years  ago  when  I  was  investigating  the  disease  of  oats, 
and  especially  the  variety  most  subject  to  the  disease,  I  found  that  the  Texas 
Rust  Proof  oat  was  severely  affected  with  rust,  but  it  is  said  to  have  been  rust 
proof  in  Texas.  We  know  then  that  climate  is  an  important  factor  and  that 
each  regiou  must  do  its  own  work  in  connection  with  the  production  of  varieties. 
1  he  varieties  of  wheat  that  have  succeeded  best  in  Minnesota  will  not  do  for 
Wyoming,  and  so  on. 

Professor  Hays's  paper  was  further  discussed  by  W.  EL  Jordan,  C.  D.  Smith, 
C.  A.  Keffer,  C.  G.  Hopkins,  and  It.  T.  French. 

For  further  discussion  of  the  subject  of  plant  breeding,  see  page  119. 

Afternoon  Session,  Wednesdax,  November  2,  1904. 
Nomination  of  Officers. 

The  chair  was  authorized  to  appoint  a  committee  of  three  to  present  nomina- 
tions for  the  officers  of  the  section,  including  two  members  of  the  executive 
committee.  The  committee  appointed  consisted  of  H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  W.  A.  Henry,  of  Wisconsin,  and  R.  J.  Redding,  of  Georgia.     (For  report, 

see  p.  <;.").  > 

Topics  for  Discussion  next  Year. 

On  motion  the  subjects  of  soil  investigation  and  of  demonstration  work  by  the 
stations  were  selected  for  discussion  at  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  section. 


119 

Pl  \  \  i    Bbekding. 

X.  E.  Hanson,  of  South  Dakota,  read  the  following  paper  on  Methods  in  Breed* 
Ing  I  [ardy  Fruits  : 

My    purpose    in    tliis   brief   paper    is   simply    to   emphasize   some   of   the    points 

brought  <>ut  in  Bulletins  NT  and  88  of  the  South  Dakota  station  published  this 
season.  In  crossing  various  fruits  I  have  found  it  of  decided  advantage  over 
the  old  outdoor  method  to  do  the  work  under  glass.  The  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants 
are  raised  in  pots,  hoxes,  or  tubs  for  a  year  or  two  before  blossoming  time,     in 

Winter  they  are  stored  in  a  specially  constructed  tree  cellar,  where  they  are  kept 
dormant  and  even  allowed  to  freeze  somewhat,  with  enough  windows  to  afford 
some  light  In  late  winter  or  early  spring  they  are  brought  into  the  greenhouse, 
and  the  crossing  is  done  when  the  flowers  are  ready.  Only  a  small  part  of  the 
blossoms  are  emasculated;  the  remainder  are  removed  while  still  in  the  bud. 
No  sacks  are  necessary,  as  a  rule.  As  soon  as  possible  the  plants  are  put  out- 
doors to  ripen  the  wood.  When  there  is  no  room  in  the  greenhouse  the  tubs 
are  taken  direct  from  the  cellar  to  their  permanent  summer  position  late  enough 
to  escape  frosts. 

As  a  whole,  the  method  demands  close  attention  and  careful  manipulation. 
While  visiting  orchard  houses  in  Europe  in  1894  and  again  in  1897  the  thought 
came  to  me  that  this  method  could  be  utilized  in  experiments  in  the  prairie 
Northwest.  The  applicability  of  this  method  elsewhere  remains  to  be  deter- 
mined. 

The  use  of  dwarf  stocks  is  necessary,  as  the  Paradise  for  the  apple,  quince 
for  the  pear,  and  the  western  sand  cherry  for  the  stone  fruits. 

Considerable  success  has  been  secured  in  hastening  the  fruiting  of  cross-bred 
seedlings.  For  instance,  strawberries  originated  one  winter  by  crossing  the 
wild  with  the  tame  have  been  raised  up  to  fruiting  size  the  same  year  outdoors 
and  fruited  in  pots  under  glass  the  following  winter.  This  saves  much  time- 
in  selecting  varieties  for  propagation,  and  also  hastens  the  work  of  propagation 
by  our  being  able  to  pot  many  layers  before  transplanting  to  the  field. 

In  handling  a  quarter  of  a  million  fruit  seedlings  I  find  many  interesting 
side  lines  of  investigation  presenting  themselves,  but  just  now  the  main  effort 
must  he  to  originate  a  few  varieties  of  the  various  orchard  and  small  fruits 
worthy  of  a  permanent  place  on  the  present  limited  fruit  list.  Some  of  the 
seedling  variations  which  present  themselves  make  me  feel  confident  that  Dr. 
Hugo  De  Vries  in  his  theory  of  mutation  hit  the  nail  on  the  head.  It  is  cer- 
tainly a  very  helpful  thought  that  new  forms  worthy  of  specific  rank  can  origi- 
nate as  sports;  that  evolution  is  by  steps  instead  of  being  a  long  and  very 
gradual  upward  slope.  Members  of  the  legislature  who  have  the  dispensing  of 
funds  will  certainly  find  more  comfort  in  the  theory  of  De  Vries  than  in  that 
of  Darwin.  My  experience  at  first  hand  with  many  thousand  seedlings  of 
native  and  cultivated  fruits  and  plants  certainly  compels  me  to  believe  that  the 
evolution  of  new  species  as  the  result  of  man's  effort  intelligently  directed  is 
more  like  the  labor  of  an  inventor  of  machinery  in  his  workshop  than  that  of 
an  observer  of  an  ever  changing  panorama.  In  brief,  plant  breeding  is  the 
inventing  of  new  plants,  using  material  as  furnished  by  nature,  and  the  time 
necessary  for  the  work  with  modern  scientific  methods  is  very  much  shorter 
than  that  usually  considered  necessary.  The  modern  plant  breeder  rides  in 
his  automobile  on  the  highway  of  evolution.  And  perhaps  Mendel's  law  and  the 
De  Vries  mutation  theory  are  two  of  the  wheels. 

T.  L.  Lyon,  of  Nebraska,  discussed  Improvement  in  the  Quality  of  Wheat,  as 
follows  : 

My  object  in  presenting  this  matter  at  this  time  is  to  call  attention  to  the  dif- 
ficulties that  present  themselves  in  attempting  to  improve  the  quality  of  wheat. 
So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  efforts  at  improvement  in  the  quality  of 
wheat  have  not  dealt  with  the  individual  plant,  but  witli  the  progeny  of  other- 
wise desirable  plants.  In  selecting  plants  for  improvement  the  selection  has 
been  based  primarily  on  the  yield  of  grain,  stiffness  of  straw,  rust  resistance, 
or  other  points  of  that  kind.  After  several  generations  had  been  produced  the 
selection  was  then  applied  to  quality.  The  result  of  this  has  been  to  limit  the 
number  of  plants  selected  for  quality,  and  thus  to  curtail  the  possibility  of 
improvement  in  that  direction. 

The  reason  that  selection  for  improvement  has  not  gone  hand  in  hand  with 
selection  for  yield  in  the  individual  plant  is  because  we  have  not  had  a  method. 


120 

for   selecting  plants   with   reference   to   the  quality   of  the   wheat    itself.     My 
object,  then,  in  starting  this  work  was  to  find  some  method  of  sampling  the 

plant  that  would  give  an  indication  of  its  quality. 

In  my  work  a  Dumber  of  plants  of  Turkish  Red  wheat  were  analyzed,  each 
head  of  the  plant  being  harvested  separately,  and  the  analysis  being  made 
separately  of  each  head,  all  kernels  of  each  head  being  used.  The  data 
obtained  show  that  there  is  quite  a  difference  in  the  proteid  content  of  These 
various  heads,  and  that  it  would  not  he  safe  to  take  the  analysis  of  any  one 
spike  as  representing  the  composition  of  the  plant  on  which  it  grew. 

Analyses  were  also  made  of  groups  of  spikes  on  the  same  plant — that  is. 
Supposing  that  a  plant  bore  ten  spikes,  we  would  take  five  of  those  in  one 
group  and  five  in  the  other  group,  then  shell  out  all  of  the  kernels  in  cadi 
group  and  analyze  each  group  separately.  In  other  words,  we  made  an 
analysis  of  half  of  the  kernels  on  half  of  the  heads  of  the  plant.  The  results 
attained  in  this  way  were  very  much  closer  than  the  results  of  analyzing  the 
separate  heads.  Thus  by  taking  half  the  number  of  heads  of  the  plant  and 
analyzing  them  we  got  a  fairly  good  sample  of  the  whole  plant.  Separate 
analyses  made  of  the  two  rows  of  kernels  showed  small  difference  in  the  total 
nitrogen  and  proteid  content  of  the  samples. 

In  carrying  on  our  work  we  have  adopted  the  practice  of  sampling  each 
head  by  taking  one  row  of  spikelets  as  a  sample  for  analysis  and  the  other 
row  of  spikelets  as  a  sample  for  planting:  then  by  sampling  each  head  on  the 
plant  we  get  what  we  consider  to  be  a  good  average  sample  of  the  plant  for 
analysis. 

The  proteid  nitrogen  content  of  800  spikes  of  Turkish  Red  wheat  selected 
in  the  field  in  1902  with  special  pains  to  secure  heads  that  were  thoroughly 
matured  and  free  from  disease  was  determined  and  the  seed  planted.  From 
the  crop  thus  obtained  selections  were  made  and  kernels  from  entire  plants 
were  sampled  and  analyzed.  The  minimum  content  of  proteids,  that  is. 
proteid  nitrogen  multiplied  by  5.7,  was  G.3S :  the  maximum,  28.21;  showing  a 
very  large  range  and  indicating  the  possibility  of  increasing  very  largely  the 
nitrogen  content  by  selection.  Analyses  of  351  plants  grown  from  the  above 
in  1903  showed  a  minimum  proteid  content  of  5.84  per  cent  and  a  maximum  of 
.".."...".4  per  cent. 

When  the  analyses  of  the  original  S00  spikes  were  made  determinations  were 
also  made  of  specific  gravity  of  the  kernels  in  a  considerable  number  of  the 
heads.  The  weight  of  the  kernels  on  the  low  nitrogen  content  heads  was  found 
to  be  somewhat  larger  than  it  was  on  those  of  high  nitrogen  content.  While 
the  decrease  was  not  regular,  there  was  a  slight  tendency  for  the  yield  to 
decrease  as  the  nitrogen  content  increased.  The  weight  of  the  average  kernel 
also  agreed  with  the  weight  of  the  kernels  on  the  spike,  there  being  in  the 
main  a  slight  decrease  in  the  weight  of  the  average  kernel  as  the  content  of 
proteid  nitrogen  increased.  The  number  of  kernels  on  the  spike  did  not  vary 
particularly.  The  volume  occupied  by  the  kernels  decreased,  or  had  a  slight 
tendency  to  decrease,  as  the  proteid  nitrogen  content  increased.  The  specific 
gravity  decreased  regularly  as  the  content  of  nitrogen  increased.  The  proteid 
nitrogen  in  all  the  kernels  increased  as  the  percentage  increased,  and  the  proteid 
nitrogen  in  the  average  kernel  increased  as  the  percentage  increased:  so  that,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  the  kernels  became  somewhat  smaller  and  lighter,  the 
total  production  of  nitrogen  increased  as  the  percentage  increased.  In  other 
words,  a  selection  based  on  increase  in  percentage  of  nitrogen  would  increase  at 
the  same  time  the  total  production  of  nitrogen. 

Similar  figures  for  the  nitrogen  content  of  all  of  the  heads  of  the  plant  of  the 
crop  of  1903.  instead  of  one  head  as  in  1902,  also  showed  that  the  number  of 
kernels  decreased  slightly  as  the  percentage  of  nitrogen  increased:  the  weight 
of  the  kernels  also  decreased  as  the  percentage  of  nitrogen  increased:  the  weight 
of  the  average  kernel  seemed  to  vary  more  than  it  did  before,  but  the  tendency 
was  for  the  weight  to  decrease  with  an  increase  in  the  percentage  of  proteid 
nitrogen  ;  the  grams  of  proteid  nitrogen  in  the  kernels  increased  in  the  main 
as  the  percentage  increased  :  and  the  grams  of  proteid  nitrogen  in  the  average 
kernel  increased  as  the  percentage  increased.  The  increase  in  the  average 
kernel  was  very  large. 

We  discarded  all  kernels  that  were  net  fully  developed  because  it  is  well 
understood  that  kernels  that  had  not  fully  ripened  would  have  a  higher  nitrogen 
content  than  those  that  had. 

In  the  crop  of  1903  we  also  determined  gliadin  and  glutenin  in  most  of  the 
plants.     Our   object   in  doing  this  was   not  very   definite.     Of  course  we  were 


attempting  to  estimate  the  eonstitutents  that  go  to  produce  gluten  In  the  wheat, 
bul  there  is  so  little  known  as  to  the  location  of  these  proteids  In  the  kernel  and 
the  relation  thai  they  bear  to  each  other  and  t<>  gluten  thai  the  matter  la 
very  Indefinite.  I'm  it  was  hoped  I  i  ascertain  what  variation  there  mighl  be 
and  t<>  throw  some  lighl  on  the  matter,  if  possible.  The  results  show  thai  while 
the  percentage  of  proteid  oitrogen  increased  from  1.89  to  5.16,  tli«'  percentage  of 
gliadin  plus  gluten  in  nitrogen  increased  from  1.76  to  2.20.  in  other  words, 
the  increase  in  the  proteid  nitrogen  contenl  was  very  much  greater  in  pro- 
portion than  the  increase  in  the  gliadin  plus  glutenin  oitrogen.  Therefore 
the  percentage  of  proteid  nitrogen  is  not  a  guide  in  selection  for  the  percentage 
<>t  gliadin  plus  glutenin,  and  it'  we  are  selecting  I'm-  these  proteids  we  must 
determine  them  separately,  it  was  further  found  that  as  far  as  the  quality 
of  gluten  may  he  determined  by  the  proportion  of  gliadin  to  glutenin,  that 
quality  remains  practically  the  same  as  wo  increase  the  total  per  cen1  of 
gluten.  If  the  ratio  of  gliadin  p.  glutenin  indicates  the  quality  of  the  gluten, 
then  in  selecting  plants  of  high  gluten  content  we  are  selecting  plants  with  the 
same  quality  of  gluten  as  if  we  are  selecting  plants  of  low  gluten  content. 
There  would  therefore  he  no  danger  of  plants  deteriorating  in  the  quality  of 
gluten  if  we  select  plants  of  high  gluten  content. 

A  study  of  the  relation  of  the  nitrogen  content  of  the  parent  plant  to  that  o1 
the  offspring  of  the  first  generation  showed  that  the  tendency  was  for  the  prog- 
eny to  increase  in  percentage  of  nitrogen  less  rapidly  than  the  mother  plants,  but 
in  the  same  way.  thus  demonstrating  that  the  selection  has  an  effect.  This  is  an 
important  point,  hecause  if  the  kernels  of  the  parent  plant  were  immature  or 
shriveled  they  would  naturally  show  a  higher  nitrogen  content,  and  yet  we 
would  not  expect  them  to  transmit  their  nitrogen  content.  If  we  find,  however, 
that  there  is  a  transmission  of  the  nitrogen  content  we  know  that  it  is  due  to  a 
healthy  condition  of  the  plant  and  is  a  factor  that  can  he  depended  upon  in  im- 
proving the  wheat  in  this  way. 

We  found  the  same  tendency  toward  heredity  in  the  weight  of  the  average 
kernel  that  we  did  in  the  nitrogen  content.  In  other  words,  plants  of  a  low 
weight  of  kernel  tend  to  produce  plants  having  low  kernel  weight,  and  plants  of 
high  kernel  weight  tend  to  produce  plants  of  higher  kernel  weight.  The  varia- 
tion is  not  so  great  as  it  was  with  the  nitrogen  content :  still  it  is  consistent,  or 
nearly  so,  and  the  hereditary  tendency  is  carried  out.  We  find  that  wheal 
varies  very  greatly  in  that  respect  from  year  to  year.  The  plants,  however, 
maintain  their  relative  standing  as  to  weight  of  kernel.  We  have  found  that  in 
certain  years — notably  in  dry  years — the  percentage  of  nitrogen  is  very  high, 
-while  the  kernels  are  apt  to  be  small ;  but  in  spite  of  that,  the  production  of 
nitrogen  per  acre  is  generally  greater  in  dry  years  than  in  wet  years.  In  other 
words,  the  years  when  we  have  large  crops  we  do  not  get  as  large  a  production 
per  acre  of  nitrogen  in  the  grain. 

There  was  a  very  decided  decrease  in  the  yield  with  the  lateness  in  ripening, 
.and  a  somewhat  marked  increase  in  percentage  of  proteid  nitrogen. 

As  the  yield  of  grain  on  the  plant  increased  the  height  of  the  plant  increased 
up  to  a  certain  point,  and  then  began  to  decrease:  BO  that  the  plants  of  large 
yield  were  here  plants  of  medium  height  In  a  similar  way  the  plants  that 
tillered  largely  were  plants  having  a  medium  range  of  yield,  and.  as  regards  the 
weight  of  the  average  kernel,  the  plants  of  large  yield  were  the  plants  having  a 
kernel  of  somewhat  more  than  medium  or  large  weight  So  that  the  best 
plants  appeared  to  he  the  plants  of  average  height  and  the  plants  that  tillered 
most  were  plants  of  average  yield,  although  data  on  this  point  are  somewhat 
limited  and  do  not  warrant  final  conclusions. 

Some  observations  were  made  on  the  effect  of  winterkilling,  which  showed 
that  there  was  a  constant  increase  in  the  yield  of  the  average  plant  as  the  num- 
ber of  plants  that  survived  increased.  In  other  words,  the  effect  of  the  freez- 
ing seemed  to  he  to  weaken  the  other  plants,  or  rather,  the  plants  that  did  sur- 
vive were  injured  by  the  cold,  to  which  they  were  more  susceptible  than  plants 
in  the  families  of  which  a  large  percentage  survived  the  winter. 

II.  Snyder,  of  Minnesota.  There  are  one  or  two  points  that  were  brought  out 
by  the  figures  that  perhaps  can  be  mentioned  a  second  time  without  detriment, 
and  one  was  that  with  an  increase  of  nitrogen  there  was  a  possibility  of  a  slight 
decrease  in  yield.  Of  course,  in  taking  hold  of  this  question  it  is  highly  desir- 
able that  yield  and  quality  be  combined  as  far  as  possible.  That  is  one  of  the 
problems  that  remains  yet  to  be  solved  along  this  line.     Another  question  that 


122 

suggests  itself  is.  Whenever  the  amount  of  nitrogen  is  increased  in  wheat  is 
it  possible  for  a  part  of  that  nitrogen  to  he  stored  up  in  the  germ  and  bran 
and  other  parts,  rather  than  in  the  portion  used  for  flour-making  purposes.' 
While  in  general  the  increase  in  the  percentage  of  nitrogen  in  wheat  was  followed 
by  an  increase  of  the  total  gluten,  or  gliadin  and  glutenin  combined,  yet  eases 
are  cited  in  which  the  total  nitrogen  was  much  in  excess  of  gliadin  and  glutenin, 
suggesting  that  in  the  offal  parts  a  part  of  this  excess  of  nitrogen  was  present. 
So  that  in  taking  up  the  question  the  object  would  be  to  get  the  nitrogen  in  the 
portion  that  is  used  for  human  food  rather  than  in  the  germ  and  the  offal. 

Another  point  brought  out  was  the  necessity  of  having  methods  for  determin- 
ing the  value,  not  only  of  wheat,  but  cereals  in  general,  where  improvement  is 
contemplated.  Of  course  we  have  individual  ideas,  but  the  ideas,  perhaps,  that 
would  be  applicable  to  one  wheat  or  one  cereal  would  be  more  a  local  standard 
rather  than  applicable  to  all  conditions;  and  with  that  in  view  I  think  it  would 
be  highly  desirable  at  this  time  if  the  association  could  offer  some  help.  I  would 
therefore  move  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  by  the  chair  to  constitute 
a  committee  on  standards  for  determining  the  value  of  the  cereals  ;  the  committee 
not  to  complete  its  work  in  one  year,  but  to  be  more  of  a  standing  committee, 
so  as  to  have  plenty  of  opportunity  and  time  to  take  up  this  work,  which  would 
involve  a  study  of  the  actual  value  of  cereals  for  human  food  purposes,  their 
value  to  the  miller  for  flour-making  purposes,  their  value  to  the  baker  for 
bread-making  purposes,  and  their  value  to  the  farmer  for  cultural  purposes. 
To  illustrate  further,  some  of  these  wheats  that  have  a  very  high  nitrogen  con- 
tent might  be  the  very  lightest  weight  wheats,  and  if  you  were  to  select  on 
nitrogen  alone  you  would  get  the  very  lightest  weight  wheat  in  the  market. 

Then,  too,  the  question  of  flour  yield  should  be  considered.  In  some  wheats 
as  high  as  76  per  cent  of  the  total  weight  of  the  wheat  is  recovered  as  marketable 
flour ;  in  others  the  yield  is  as  low  as  46  per  cent.  It  is  desirable  to  get  as  high 
a  yield  of  flour  as  possible  and  flour  of  the  best  quality,  and  that  is  the  object  of 
this  committee — to  take  this  up  in  a  broad  way,  so  that  we  will  have  some 
standards  for  comparison  in  this  work. 

It  has  been  found  necessary  to  combine  milling  tests  with  analysis.  In  our  own 
station  we  have  recently  added  a  complete  experimental  milling  plant  with  four 
reduction  rollers,  so  that  we  can  get  the  yields  of  all  of  the  different  grades  of 
flour  and  all  of  the  offals.  That  is  quite  helpful,  as  the  work,  in  order  to  meet 
with  the  greatest  measure  of  success  possible,  requires  not  only  the  careful 
kind  of  work  which  Mr.  Lyon  has  done,  but  must  go  a  step  further,  getting 
the  flour  value,  the  baking  value,  and,  if  necessary,  the  food  value,  as  weli  as 
determining  the  yield  per  acre  and  nitrogen  content. 

C.  E.  Thorne,  of  Ohio.  We  have  been  testing  a  number  of  varieties  of  wheat 
at  the  Ohio  Station.  One  of  these  has  given  us  a  very  high  yield,  and  it  has 
begun  to  go  upon  the  market.  We  are  hearing  from  the  millers  very  strong 
objections  to  that  particular  variety  of  whea,t.  saying  that  it  is  not  a  good  flour- 
making  wheat.  The  millers  are  quoting  the  verdict  of  a  private  laboratory 
which  sustains  this  opinion.  This  year  we  sent  to  that  private  laboratory  some 
thirty-odd  unnamed  varieties  of  wheat,  this  one  among  the  rest.  Notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  this  laboratory  had  previously  given  a  verdict  entirely  unfavorable 
to  this  particular  variety,  in  the  report  which  came  back  to  us  this  particular 
variety  ranked  second — next  to  the  highest— in  milling  quality  of  the  many 
varieties  of  wheat.  Therefore  we  feel  the  necessity  very  urgently  and  strongly 
for  a  test  laboratory  of  the  kind  mentioned,  which  shall  be  of  uncontested 
reputation  as  an  authority,  to  which  we  may  go  for  the  determination  of  ques- 
tions of  this  sort. 

We  have  been  making  analyses  of  wheat  for  a  number  of  years,  and  have  just 


123 

lately  put  together  the  results.     We  found  for  a  Dumber  <>f  years  In  success!    i 

■  Steady  increase  ii;  the  amount  of  nitrogen  in  the  average  of  the  whole  until 
we  came  to  the  year  1903,  when  there  was  a  sudden  drop  to  a  point  below  the 

lowest  of  the  previous  years*  record  If  we  had  been  making  experiments  to 
increase  the  nitrogen  in  our  wheats  we  would  have  felt  for  a  half  do/en  years 
that    we  were  securing  important    results,   .-ill    to  ho   thrown   to   tin-   wind   i:i   licit 

one  year. 

C.  G.  Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  i  want  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Professor 
[yon  is  breeding  in  two  directions,  and  in  that  he  is  independent  of  seasonal 
influence.  In  other  words,  he  is  breeding  for  both  high  and  low  protein:  so 
that   in  a  year  that   produces   itigh-protein  wheat  both   levels  are  raised,   hut  the 

difference  keeps  increasing.  We  have  had  the  same  experience  with  corn,  in 
our  high-protein  cornfield,  for  example,  we  do  not  find  that  the  increase  is 

constant  ;  it  may  rise  for  three  years  and  then  fall  and  then  rise  again.  Similar 
fluctuations  are  also  observed  with  the  low-protein  corn,  hut  the  difference 
between  the  two  is  more  constant. 

It  is  of  importance  in  breeding  for  high  protein  to  maintain  a  supply  of 
nitrogen  in  the  soil.  The  supply  of  nitrogen  is  just  as  important  in  breeding 
wheat  or  corn  as  in  breeding  animals.  The  question  frequently  arises  whether 
growing  high-protein  corn  or  wheat  does  not  more  rapidly  leduce  the  fertility 
of  the  soil.  Nitrogen  is  a  peculiar  element;  it  is  made  available  for  food  as  it 
passes  into  nitrate  form.  With  this  process  of  nitrification  the  corn  plant  or 
wheat  plant  has  nothing  to  do.  Once  in  the  form  of  nitrates,  so  far  as  we  know, 
the  nitrogen  is  either  taken  up  by  crops  or  it  is  lost ;  and  the  point  brought  out 
by  Professor  Lyon  that  in  the  wet  seasons  the  nitrogen  content  was  low  may  be 
attributed  to  the  fact  that  his  nitrogen  passed  off  in  drainage  waters,  and  was 
Jost  to  the  crop.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  growing  of  high-protein 
wheat  or  high-protein  corn  is  more  likely  to  result  in  a  saving  of  nitrogen  than 
in  any  extra  draft  upon  the  nitrogen  content  of  the  soil.  If  it  is  not  taken  up 
by  the  crops  it  is  almost  sure  to  pass  off  before  the  next  crop  is  grown. 

In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  the  possibility  of  judging  of  the  quality  of  wheat 
by  means  of  a  physical  examination.  Professor  Lyon  said:  "I  suppose  that  the 
quality  of  the  wheat  is  indicated  to  a  considerable  extent,  at  least,  by  the 
-appearance  of  the  kernel — thai  is,  by  its  hardness  and  by  the  color."  Professor 
Snyder  brought  out  in  one  of  his  recent  bulletins  the  difference  between  the 
appearance  of  glutenous  wheat  and  starchy  wheat,  as  shown  by  the  cross- 
section  of  a  kernel,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  that  could  be  used  to  a  considerable 
extent  as  a  guide  to  the  quality  of  wheat  in  planting. 

W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota.  I  am  \ery  much  struck  with  the  wide  variation 
reported.  It  is  much  more  than  I  would  expect  with  the  method  followed,  bur 
dealing  with  the  product  of  a  single  mother  plant  for  several  generations  I 
would  expect  to  get  very  much  greater  variation. 

M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky.  I  am  afraid  that  in  the  next  fifty  years 
scientists  will  not  accept  our  analyses  for  proteid  compounds  any  more  readily 
than  we  accept  the  analyses  of  fifty  years  ago.  If  we  could  find  out  the  relation 
between  nitrogen  and  gluten  content,  baking  qualities,  etc.,  of  wheat,  the  total 
nitrogen  would  be  the  most  satisfactory  basis  of  judgment,  because  it  is  so 
easily  and  accurately  determined. 

W.  Saunders,  of  Canada.  What  surprises  me  very  much  in  this  paper  is  the 
fact  that  the  composition  of  the  grain  from  different  sides  of  the  same  head 
varies  so  widely.  It  shows  how  very  careful  we  have  to  he  in  drawing  any 
conclusions  with  reference  to  this  subject.  Certainly  this  paper  throws  a  light 
on  the  subject  that  we  have  never  had  before. 

The  motion  to  appoint  a  committee  on  this  subject  was  carried. 


124 

The  committee,  announced  htter,  consisls  of  II.  Snyder,  of  Minnesota;  C.  G- 

Hopkins,  of  Illinois,  and  T.  L.  Lyon,  of  Nebraska. 

Animal   BREEDING. 

C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa,  read  the  following  paper  on  this  subject: 

"  An  exact  determination  of  the  laws  of  heredity  will  probably  work  more 
change  in  man's  outlook  on  the  world  and  his  power  over  nature  than  any 
other  advance  in  natural  knowledge  that  can  be  clearly  foreseen." 

These  are  the  words  of  a  distinguished  scientist  who  believes  that  these  laws 
can  and  will  he  determined  by  careful  investigation  and  the  tabulation  of  sta- 
tistical results  indicating  the  course  of  heredity  under  different  conditions. 
That  there  has  been  a  great  awakening  of  interest  in  the  principles  of  breed- 
ing plants  and  animals  and  in  biological  problems  is  plainly  apparent.  This 
search  for  the  truth  concerning  the  laws  of  life  is  tersely  put  by  Pearson  in 
the  following  paragraph: 

"  There  .is  an  insatiable  desire  in  the  human  breast  to  resume  in  some  short 
formula,  some  brief  statement,  the  facts  of  human  experience.  It  leads  the 
savage  to  'account'  for  all  natural  phenomena  by  deifying  the  wind,  and  the 
stream,  and  the  tree.  It  leads  civilized  man,  on  the  other  hand,  to  express  his 
emotional  experience  in  works  of  art,  and  his  physical  and  mental  experience 
in  the  formula?  or  so-called  laws  of  science." 

The  recent  investigations  in  this  field  have  related  chiefly  to  plant  breed- 
ing. The  plant  breeders  have  given  us  the  first  mathematical  formulas  for 
measuring  the  forces  of  heredity.  While  it  is  not  certain  that  these  formulas 
are  of  general  application  and  many  investigators  are  not  willing  to  accept 
them  at  all,  they  have  attracted  wide  attention  and  stimulated  inquiry. 

This  activity  on  the  part  of  plant  breeders  has  invaded  the  field  of  animal 
breeders.  Some  valuable  work  has  been  done  in  recent  years,  and  the  future 
gives  promise  of  the  inauguration  of  extensive  investigations  that  will  un- 
doubtedly throw  much  light  on  our  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  animal  breeding. 

The  creative  and  deductive  work  of  such  men  as  Burbank,  Ewart,  De  Vries, 
Vilmorin,  Galton,  and  Mendel  have  been  a  great  incentive  to  scientific  and  prac- 
tical investigation. 

The  lack  of  means,  equipment,  and  time  required  for  study  and  inquiry  in 
this  field  has  thus  far  prevented  the  experiment  stations  in  the  various  States 
from  undertaking  much  of  this  work.  Many  of  the  stations  are  now  preparing 
to  establish  work  in  animal  breeding,  however,  and  some  few  already  have 
work  in  progress.  The  American  Breeders'  Association  was  organized  in  St. 
Louis  in  December,  1903,  and  now  has  about  20  life  members  and  300  annual 
members,  some  of  whom  are  enrolled  from  foreign  countries.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  this  organization  to  afford  opportunity  for  discussion  and  comparison  of 
methods,  principles,  and  results  from  the  work  of  the  leading  authorities  on 
plant  and  animal  breeding  of  all  countries. 

The  last  Congress  made  an  appropriation  of  $25,000  for  cooperative  breeding 
and  feeding  work  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  and 
cooperative  work  has  already  been  inaugurated  by  the  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry  in  several  of  the  stations,  the  most  notable  being  that  in  Colorado 
for  the  purpose  of  producing  a  heavy  harness  or  coach  horse  type  by  the  use  of 
the  American  trotting  horse  as  foundation  stock.  The  excellence  of  some  of 
the  best  specimens  of  trotting-bred  horses  for  this  purpose  and  the  importance 
of  and  demand  for  superior  horses  of  this  type  renders  this  a  work  of  great 
interest  and  far-reaching  consequences. 

I  have  recently  addressed  inquiries  to  about  twenty  of  the  experiment  stations 
giving  most  attention  to  animal  husbandry,  asking  the  nature  of  the  animal 
breeding  work  they  have  in  progress  or  plans  under  contemplation  for  inaugura- 
tion of  this  work  in  the  future.  From  the  stations  having  work  in  progress  I 
have  the  following  replies  : 

By  Prof.  E.  R.  Lloyd,  of  Mississippi :  "  We  have  done  no  really  scientific 
work  in  animal  breeding,  but  our  efforts  have  been  directed  mainly  along  the 
line  of  improving  the  native  'scrub'  cattle  of  the  State,  as  regards  their  beef" 
form  and  feeding  qualities.  I  will  briefly  outline  what  we  have  attempted  and 
give  some  of  the  results  accomplished. 

"  Our  foundation  herd  was  composed  of  25  native  cows  of  no  fixed  type  or 
breeding,  with  perhaps  Jersey  blood  predominating.  An  Angus  bull  of  good  beef 
form  was  used  on  this  herd.     We  uow  have  50  animals  in  the  herd,  ranging  from 


1 25 

one-half  to  seven-eighths  Angus  blood,  a  rigid  selection  has  been  made  eacli 
year,  retaining  in  the  herd  only  those  animals  thai  approach  nearest  the  type 

we    want.      From    the    half-blood    calves    98    per    cent    are    hornless    and    (.>.">    per 

cent  solid  black.    The  foundation  berd  of  Dative  cows  were  nil  colors,  and  all 

except  four  had  horns.  The  form  and  feeding  quality  of  the  calves  has  been 
much  improved  and  their  market  value  increased.  Our  grade  Angus  calves  will 
sell  readily  for  one-third  more  than  the  native  calves  of  same  age.  Our  calves 
are  larger  .it  same  age  and  many  of  them  look  like  pure-bred  Angus.  Our  grade 
steers  of  2  and  .">  years  old  will  bring  from  one-half  to  1  per  cenl  more  per  pound 
on  foot  than  native  steers  or  same  age  and  size.  We  are  this  year  establishing 
some  work  with  Shorthorn  hulls  on  native  cows. 

"We  have  not  as  yet  gone  far  enough  into  the  feeding  or  finishing  of  these 
grade  steers  to  be  able  to  make  a  report  of  that  side  of  the  work.  We  have  in 
progress  comparative  feeding  of  native  and  grade  steers,  and  this  work  will 
continue  for  some  time  yet.  We  have  graded  up  a  hunch  of  sheep  by  using 
Dorset  bucks  <>n  native  ewes.  The  native  ewes  give  an  average  clip  of  2.9 
pounds  of  wool,  and  only  about  5  per  cent  dropped  twin  lambs.  Our  flock  now 
averages  .*»  pounds  of  wool,  and  BO  per  cent  brought  twin  lambs  last  season. 

"  I  hope  you  may  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  our  work  from  this  brief 
statement.  Our  fanners  are  taking  great  interest  in  better  cattle,  especially 
beef  cattle.  Our  station  inoculated  over  300  registered  cattle  for  farmers  last 
season." 

By  Prof.  J.  H.  Skinner,  of  Indiana:  "At  present  we  are  conducting  some 
experiments  in  swine  breeding.  As  you  are  aware,  there  has  been  much  dis 
CUSSion  as  to  the  use  of  bacon  hogs,  especially  to  bring  in  renewed  vitality  and 
increase  of  prolificacy  of  other  breeds.  We  have  undertaken  to  investigate  the 
matter  of  crossing  Poland  Chinas  on  Yorkshires,  selecting  the  females  which 
have  a  tendency  toward  bacon  type  from  each  generation  and  using  pure-bred. 
Poland  China  males  to  mate  with  these  sows.  The  work  has  been  in  progress 
two  years.  We  are  not  in  position,  however,  to  make  any  statements  in 
regard  to  results,  as  I  believe  such  experiments  should  be  carefully  worked 
out  and  sufficient  data  secured  before  drawing  any  conclusions." 

By  Prof.  R.  S.  Shaw,  of  Michigan:  "At  present  we  have  the  necessary  facili- 
ties about  complete  for  launching  out  on  an  extensive  line  of  breeding  in  which 
the  grade  dairy  cow  is  to  be  the  subject  used.  One  of  our  men  is  at  present 
in  the  field  purchasing  20  high-grade  Shorthorn  cows.  These  are  to  be  brought 
to  the  institution  and  a  record  made  regarding  the  age,  weight,  form,  quality', 
etc.,  of  each  individual,  each  record  to  be  accompanied  by  a  photograph.  The 
cows  will  then  be  divided  into  4  uniform  lots.  The  females  of  lot  1  and  their 
female  offspring  will  be  bred  to  a  continuous  line  of  Holstein  bulls;  lot  2  to 
Jersey  bulls ;  lot  3  to  Guernsey  bulls,  and  lot  4  to  dual  purpose  Shorthorn 
bulls.  The  idea  is  to  keep  a  record  of  each  generation  of  females  as  dairy 
producers  and  to  determine  the  veal  or  baby  beef  values  of  the  male  offspring. 
The  primary  object  of  this  work  will  be  to  demonstrate  the  possibilities  of 
improving  common-grade  stock  through  upgrading.  The  secondary  object  will 
be  to  demonstrate  what  good  feeding,  care,  and  management  will  do  to  increase 
the  productiveness  of  the  original  stocks  chosen.  The  indiscriminate  admix- 
tures of  blood  in  breeding  dairy  cows  has  led  to  this  line  of  work. 

"One  year  ago  we  started  some  investigations  in  breeding  in  relation  to  size 
in  dairy  cows.  For  example,  in  purchasing  Ayrshire  cows  we  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  secure  cows  possessed  of  the  size  which  the  breed  manifested 
ten  to  fifteen  years  ago.  Two  Ayrshire  cows  were  purchased  which  at  thirty- 
seven  months  of  age  had  produced  two  calves  each ;  neither  cow  weighing  to 
exceed  700  pounds.  A  lifetime  record  of  these  two  cows,  in  addition  to  several 
of  other  breeds,  is  to  be  kept.  It  is  the  intention  to  so  breed  and  handle  the 
female  offspring  as  to  produce  larger  individuals  conforming  more  nearly  to 
the  original  type,  and  then  secure,  as  far  as  possible,  comparative  data  relative 
to  the  two  types. 

"  We  have  no  definite  plans  as  yet  relative  to  breeding  problems  among  beef 
cattle.  Our  swine  department  is  being  adjusted  as  rapidly  as  possible  so  as  to 
enable  us  to  begin  original  investigation  work  in  swine  breeding.  Up  to  the 
present  we  have  simply  produced  several  crosses  in  order  to  study  more  care- 
fully those  types  occupying  a  place  midway  between  extreme  lard  and  bacon 
types.  During  the  past  two  years  sheep  and  swine  feeding  investigations  have 
been  conducted  here  quite  extensively." 

By  Prof.  C.  S.  Plumb,  of  Ohio:  "  It  seems  to  me  some  experiments  might  be 
conducted    systematically,    dealing    with    telegouy,    cross    breeding,    in-and-in 


126 

breeding,   fecundity,   and   some  other   subjects   in   which   little   has  yet    been 
attempted.    This  work  will  necessarily  cover  considerable  time  and  may  in 
various  kinds  of  animals,  but  it  is  clear  in  my  mind  that  it  should  be  d 

There  ;ire  two  good   reasons   for   this  work:   One,   to   secure  definite   knowledge 
on  some  things  Involving  the  principles  of  breeding;  the  other  to  furnish 
tlflc  aid  to  farm  practice,  such  as  relates  to  methods  of  breeding,  and  in   Its 
application  to  such  things  as  fecundity,  prepotency,  etc. 

"The  cooperative  feature  of  breeding  work  can  be  made  very  useful,  but  it 
will  have  to  he  worked  into,  it  seems  to  me.  gradually,  with  the  station  also 
Checking  op,  if  possible,  in  the  same  line  of  investigation.*' 

By  Prof.  .lames  W.  Wilson,  of  South  Dakota:  "I  am  starting  a  new  bra 
hogs,  l  think  there  is  a  demand  in  this  State  for  a  lard  breed  more  prolific 
and  with  greater  fecundity  than  the  Duroc  Jerseys  or  Poland  Chinas.  We  are 
carrying  on  an  experiment  with  sheep.  It  is  our  intention  to  include  the  six 
leading  breeds  of  sheep  and  ewes  of  common  range  breeding.  We  will  breed  ten 
head  of  each  each  year  to  each  of  these  rams,  rotating  the  rams  each  year  and 
using  the  same  ewes,  fattening  the  Iambs  off  at  1  year  old,  which  experiment  will 
give  us  some  idea  of  the  best  breed  of  sheep  to  use  for  our  conditions.  A  similar 
experiment  with  cattle  is  now  under  way." 

By  Prof.  Andrew  Boss,  of  Minnesota:  "The  line  of  work  that  I  have  most 
completely  in  mind  is  that  of  founding  breeds  that  have  the  intrinsic  qualities 
demanded  by  the  market.  In  view  of  this  I  have  been  selecting  certain 
families  of  hogs  that  conform  to  the  market  demands  and  recording  their  breed 
Ing,  and  in  most  cases  working  out  the  good  qualities  of  the  litters  when  fatted 
This,  however,  has  given  us  only  the  most  meager  kind  of  a  foundation  for  good 
work  in  the  future.  As  soon  as  we  learn  the  value  and  characteristics  of  the 
foundation  stock  on  hand  it  will  be  our  object  to  fasten,  if  possible,  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  breed  either  by  cross  breeding,  inbreeding,  or  whatever  other 
method  we  may  find  satisfactory. 

"  I  believe  that  in  order  to  get  good  results  we  must  know  just  exactly  what 
the  individuals  are  worth  that  we  are  working  with,  and  that  we  must  have 
definite  knowledge  as  to  the  best  means  of  propagating  their  usefulness. 

"  My  ideas  in  regard  to  the  problems  in  animal  breeding  are  not  so  extensive, 
possibly,  as  some  other  people  may  have.  As  I  see  it  the  problems  must  be 
solved  by  large  moneyed  interests.  Results  come  so  slowly  in  animal  breeding 
that  one  individual  is  not  able  to  accomplish  very  much  in  the  way  of  permanent 
results.  I  believe  the  colleges  and  stations  could  do  a  great  work  in  this  line  if 
they  were  organized  into  a  cooperative  association,  and  select  for  director  of  the 
work  some  man  or  a  committee  of  men  who  are  well  up  in  the  subject,  and  who 
would  give  promise  of  long  service.  The  institutions  could  also  work  with  the 
individual  breeders,  but  it  is  so  hard  to  control  conditions  there,  or  rather  to 
control  the  inclinations  of  the  individual  breeders,  that  I  believe  better  results 
would  be  obtained  under  experiment  station  management. 

"  I  have  no  outline  to  submit  of  any  plan  of  work  with  the  colleges  and  experi- 
ment stations.  My  individual  plan  for  animal  breeding  in  experiments  is  not 
on  a  basis  that  would  be  of  value  to  such  an  organization.  They  include  siin-" 
ply  the  measuring  of  individuals  for  foundation  work  and  of  further  testing  the 
value  of  these  animals  by  measuring  the  value  of  the  offspring.  When  these 
facts  have  been  learned,  then  comes  a  plan  for  fixing  the  qualities,  or  possibly 
developing  a  new  breed." 

By  Prof.  F.  B.  Mumford,  of  Missouri:  "In  my  opinion  the  greatest  need  in 
animal  breeding  at  the  present  time  is  for  experimental  data  secured  by  pains- 
taking, accurate  research,  which  will  help  us  to  decide  with  much  more  definite- 
noss  upon  some  of  the  questions  which  are  now  largely  matters  of  opinion. 
This  opinion,  I  think,  is  held  by  the  leading  biologists  of  this  and  other 
countries. 

11  The  investigations  in  this  subject  by  the  stations  should,  it  seems  to  me, 
contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  science  of  breeding.  Following  this  sugges- 
tion to  its  logical  conclusion  means  long  and  laborious  experimentation,  using 
large  numbers  of  animals.  The  expense  of  this  work  with  farm  animals,  and 
the  small  number  of  individuals,  makes  it  difficult  or  impossible  to  carry  on  this 
work  with  such  animals.  It  will  be  necessary  to  investigate  many  of  these 
questions  by  the  use  of  small  animals  that  breed  rapidly. 

"  Another  line  of  experiments  which  are  of  the  greatest  practical  value  to 
breeders  is  an  investigation  of  the  influence  of  environment,  including  exercise, 
feed,  shelter,  etc..  on  the  breeding  efficiency  of  animals,     There  are  great  possi- 


127 

bllities  in  this  latter  work.     This  does  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  possibil- 
ities of  research  in  animal  breeding." 

By  Prof.  W.  R.  Dodson,  Of  Louisiana:  "As  yon  know,  we  have  boon  working 
for  Several  years  on  the  immunization  of  northern  cattle  to  the  Texas  fever. 
Wo  now  have  on  hand  a  small  herd,  consisting  of  nine  mothers,  grade  AngUS, 
purchased  nearly  three  years  ago  in  Clinton,  Ilk.  Immunized  at  Baton  Rouge, 
and  bred  to  a  registered  Angus  bull  purchased  at  the  same  place  at  the  same 
time.  All  of  these  heifers  have  calves  that  have  passed  through  the  summer, 
and  all  have  been  heavily  infested  with  ticks.  Two  of  the  cows  have  a  second 
calf,  and  all  of  them  will  have  their  second  calf  this  winter.  We  have  ten  head 
of  grade  Hereford  calves,  raised  on  the  station.  The  oldest  one  of  these  will 
have  a  calf  about  February  ;  several  others  will  come  in  about  May.  These 
animals  will  compare  favorably  with  any  to  he  found  on  the  farms  of  Illinois, 
Missouri,  or  elsewhere  outside  of  the  barns  of  the  fancy  breeder.  Of  course, 
you  are  aware  that  our  native  cattle  all  have  the  fever  when  they  are  calves,  as 
has  been  brought  out  by  our  work,  and  while  the  disease  to  a  considerable 
extent  retards  the  development  of  the  animal,  as  soon  as  the  ticks  are  removed 
the  animal  soon  begins  to  recover  from  the  effects  ;  and  if  the  ticks  are  not 
allowed  to  become  excessively  abundant  the  animal  thrives  apparently  as  well 
as  in  the  North.  Our  calves  running  on  the  pasture  are  as  fat  from  the  latter 
part  of  April  to  the  latter  part  of  October  as  they  are  in  the  blue-grass  section. 
We  have  also  demonstrated  that  it  is  possible  to  rid  our  pastures  of  ticks.  This, 
of  course,  puts  a  different  future  before  the  stockman  of  the  South.  Though  it 
will  be  more  trouble,  and  require  greater  vigilance,  I  see  no  reason  why  the 
intelligent  and  industrious  farmer  of  the  South  should  not  equal  or  excel  the 
northern  man  in  the  production  of  beef  and  milch  cattle. 

"  We  are  not  doing  anything  with  other  lines  of  animal  breeding.  I  might 
remind  you  of  the  fact  that  we  topped  the  market  at  Chicago  with  some  beef 
steers  purchased  as  calves  in  Illinois,  immunized  in  Louisiana,  fattened  after 
having  been  there  two  years,  and  reshipped  to  Chicago." 

By  Prof.  E.  W.  Major,  of  California :  "  The  live-stock  work  here  has  been 
started  such  a  short  time  that  we  have  not  had  opportunity  to  carry  on  any 
breeding  experiments  so  far.  At  present  I  am  purchasing  some  hogs.  Shall 
have  some  Berkshires,  Poland  Chinas,  and  Tamworths,  and  shall  try  some  experi- 
ments with  these.  I  am  rather  looking  to  see  if  we  can  not  find  a  hog  that  will 
do  better  in  the  alfalfa  sections  than  the  Poland  Chinas.  These  experiments 
will  be  largely  along  the  line  of  feeding,  but  I  expect  to  do  some  at  the  present 
time  in  cross  breeding.  We  intend  to  do  some  experimenting  right  away  in 
poultry  breeding. 

"In  regard  to  suggestions,  the  one  that  appeals  to  me  most  forcibly  is  this: 
If  experiment  station  workers  would  start  a  discussion,  it  would  have  to  be 
done  by  correspondence,  in  regard  to  the  data  to  be  recorded  in  breeding  experi- 
ments. Those  of  us  who  are  situated  so  far  from  the  center,  and  therefore  are 
unable  to  attend  many  meetings,  have  little  opportunity  of  discussing  the  ques- 
tion with  other  experiment  station  men  and  getting  in  touch  with  the  work  they 
are  doing." 

Aside  from  this,  the  work  largely  done  at  several  of  the  stations  is  familiar 
to  the  members  of  this  body.  The  work  of  the  Wisconsin  Experiment  Station 
in  crossing  and  grading  unimproved  types  of  sheep  has  given  striking  results 
that  have  been  of  practical  and  scientific  value.  The  provisions  for  the  investi- 
gations of  Professor  Davenport  at  the  newly  equipped  laboratory  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Carnegie  Institute  is  significant  of  the  growing  interest  in  this 
field  of  inquiry,  and  the  results  of  these  investigations  will  be  looked  forward  to 
with  unusual  interest. 

At  the  Iowa  station  several  lines  of  animal-breeding  work  are  in  progress. 
It  is  well  known  that  we  have  no  breed  of  sheep  in  America  adapted  to  the 
range  conditions  and  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  range  in  any  adequate 
manner.  Sheep  raisers  in  the  range  territory  resort  to  frequent  crossing, 
alternating  from  the  Merino  to  the  coarse-wooled  mutton  breeds  for  compactness 
of  fleece,  ability  to  graze  in  large  numbers,  size,  length  of  staple,  and  then  to 
the  Down  breeds  for  improvement  of  mutton  qualities.  It  is  necessary  to  make 
frequent  changes  in  the  use  of  these  types,  and  there  is  a  lack  of  uniformity  and 
stability  in  breed  characteristics  and  qualities  desired  for  range  conditions. 

We  have  taken  up  work  in  crossing  these  types  with  a  view  to  gradually 
evolving  something  that  will  meet  the  requirements  of  range  conditions  and 

23880— No.  153—05  m 9 


128 

thai  may  be  fixed  and  perpetuated.  This  work  has  been  in  progress  during  the 
past  three  years,  but  lias  not  yet  advanced  far  enough  to  reach  definite  results. 

In  1900  the  Union  Stockyard  and  Transit  Company  of  Chicago  furnished 
funds  for  the  inauguration  of  some  breeding  and  feeding  experiments  known  as 
the  production  of  "  Blue-Gray  *'  cattle,  by  the  use  of  white  Shorthorn  sire  on 
grade  and  pure  bred  Galloway  females.  We  have  already  produced  two  crops 
of  calves  and  the  third  is  due  this  fall.  The  first  crop  is  now  coming  two 
years  old,  ami  they  are  being  finished  for  market  and  for  the  International  Live 
Stock  Exposition  at  Chicago,  and  some  interesting  and  rather  striding  results 
have  been  attained.  The  superior  reputation  of  these  cattle  as  feeding  hullocks 
has  been  fully  confirmed.  They  are  not,  however,  quite  as  even  in  their  flesh 
and  as  smooth  and  uniform  in  their  carcass  in  all  cases  as  the  modern  market 
demands.  We  hope  to  introduce  some  new  features  in  this  work  during  the 
coming  year  by  selecting  ten  of  the  best  Galloway  cows,  which  have  during  the 
past  two  seasons  been  bred  to  a  white  Shorthorn  bull,  to  be  bred  during  the 
coming  year  to  a  pure-bred  Galloway,  thus  giving  opportunity  to  test  the  theory 
of  "  telegony."  It  is  also  proposed  to  select  ten  white  Shorthorn  females  and 
breed  to  a  pure-bred  Galloway  bull,  thus  reversing  the  process  of  producing 
Pdue-Grays.  Then,  before  we  terminate  the  experiment,  we  shall  do  some  breed- 
ing with  a  view  to  hxing  the  Blue-Gray  characteristics  and  endeavor  to  per- 
petuate type.  We  are  well  aware  that  this  may  be  a  difficult  process,  but  it  is 
the  intention  to  conduct  some  investigations  along  this  line. 

During  the  progress  of  this  work  an  interesting  and  unexpected  result  was 
obtained  in  the  fact  that  the  second  crop  of  calves  from  the  same  cows  and  by 
the  same  sire  were  not  as  uniform  and  as  well  colored  as  the  first  lot.  There 
is  no  means  of  accounting  for  this  departure  from  the  Blue-Gray  color  in  the 
greater  number  of  instances  in  the  second  than  in  the  first  mating.  It  is 
believed  by  many  of  our  best  breeders  that  subsequent  offspring  by  the  same  sire 
and  from  the  same  females  will  be  more  uniform  in  type  and  color  and  char- 
acteristics than  the  first  offspring. 

We  have  also  planned  to  cross  two  breeds  of  hogs,  using,  perhaps,  the  Berk- 
shire and  Tamworth,  with  the  sire  of  one  breed  in  a  given  number  of  cases 
and  the  sire  of  the  other  breed  in  an  equal  number  of  cases.  Perhaps  five  or 
ten  sires  of  each  breed  will  be  used  and  the  work  repeated  several  times.  One 
object  of  this  will  be  to  determine  the  relative  influence  of  the  sire  and  dam  in 
crossing  distinct  types.  Some  of  these  sows  will  then  be  bred  back  to  sires  of 
the  same  breed,  to  test  the  theory  of  telegony  in  breeding  hogs. 

In  some  work  of  this  kind  which  has  already  been  carried  on  during  two 
seasons  it  has  seemed"  in  crossing  the  Tamworth  and  Poland  China  that  the 
dam  exerted  the  greater  influence.  When  the  Poland  China  sire  was  used  on 
the  Tamworth  dam  the  offspring  had  more  of  the  Tamworth  than  when  the 
Tamworth  sire  was  used  on  the  Poland  China  dam. 

I  believe  that  many  of  the  theories  and  supposed  laws  of  heredity  should  be 
tested  by  extensive  and  repeated  experiments  with  domestic  animals,  and  that 
it  is  desirable  that  this  work  be  done  with  the  larger  rather  than  the  smaller 
animals,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  will  take  a  much  longer  time  and 
involve  a  greater  expenditure.  The  work  of  Prof.  Cossar  Ewart  in  crossing 
the  horse  a_id  zebra,  breeding  back  again  to  the  original  types,  for  the  purpose 
of  testing  the  theory  of  telegony,  has  perhaps  done  more  to  establish  conclusive 
results  concerning  this  one  theory  than  all  the  previous  investigations  com- 
bined. Professor  Ewart's  conclusions,  however,  are  applied  only  to  horses  and 
dogs,  and  he  expresses  no  opinion  concerning  their  application  to  other  kinds 
of  domestic  animals.  Some  of  our  plant  breeders  have  obtained  results  which 
tend  quite  conclusively  to  substantiate  the  Mendel  law  theory.  Others  have 
obtained  results  quite  the  contrary.  No  one  has  yet  endeavored  to  test  the 
application  of  this  law  to  the  breeding  of  the  higher  domestic  animals.  I  am 
told  that  one  of  our  most  extensive  and  successful  dealers  in  heavy  harness 
horses  of  trotting  blood  has  made  the  statement  that  his  experience,  extending 
over  a  number  of  years  and  applying  to  many  thousands  of  horses,  selected  with 
the  utmost  care  from  perhaps  hundreds  of  thousands  that  have  been  inspected, 
has  shown  conclusively  that  95  per  cent  of  the  horses  conforming  to  this  type 
in  conformation,  action,  quality,  and  other  characteristics  that  go  to  make  up 
the  essential  standard,  may  be  traced  directly  to  two  sires.  This  man  speaks 
with  considerable  authority,  as  he  has  for  years  made  it  a  practice  to  keep  a 
complete  record,  including  the  breeding,  of  each  horse  that  has  passed  through 
his  stables.  Possibly  if  these  results  were  carefully  investigated  they  might 
establish  a  case  of  Mendelian  dominance. 


129 

The  brief  reports  which  are  here  submitted  relative  to  the  work  now  in  prog 
ress  in  t iu»  several  stations  and  the  plans  under  consideration  i'«»r  the  extension 
of  this  work,  Indicate  clearly  thai  this  Beld  of  investigation,  which  has  until 
recently  been  almost  entirely  neglected  by  the  experiment  stations,  through 
various  causes  for  which  they  have  not  been  responsible,  is  soon  to  become  one 
of  the  most  interesting  and  profitable  lines  of  Investigation. 

II.  E.  Summers,  of  Iowa.  I  may  Bay  that  certain  animals,  Including  the 
cavles,  for  instance,  which  have  heen  investigated  <inite  extensively,  have  been 
found  in  certain  characteristics,  viz.  color,  condition  of  albinism,  and  length  of 

hair,  to  conform  absolutely  to  .Mendel's  law.  I  have  myself  a  litter  of  four 
white  cavies  only  two  days  old.  from  a  white  and  colored  mother,  in  which  the 
pro!  abilities  under  any  other  conditions  than  the  Mendelian  law  would  he 
almost  too  great  to  he  conceived  of.  This  is  simply  one  illustration,  and  of 
course  would  not  prove  the  law.  hut  it  agrees  with  some  thousands  of  exp<  La- 
ments which  have  shown  that  the  law  applies. 

W.  M.  Hays,  of  Minnesota.  Whether  these  conflicting  reports  are  really  con- 
flicting or  based  on  experiments  that  really  give  the  true  comparison  as  to  the 
operation  of  the  Mendelian  law,  I  can  cite  the  following  ease:  An  experimenter 
in  England,  I  understand,  worked  on  the  color  of  some  animals  and  found  that 
it  did  not  follow  the  Mendelian  law,  but  he  afterwards  found  that  there  were 
three  component  colors  in  that  compound  color,  and  when  taken  separately  they 
did  follow  the  Mendelian  law,  and  that  these  were  the  unit  characters  while 
the  component  color  was  a  variable  character.  Practically  a  parallel  ease  was 
found  in  the  orchid  grown  by  some  English  experimenter,  in  which  the  com- 
ponent colors  operated  in  accordance  with  the  Mendelian  idea,  whereas  the 
blended  color  had  not  so  operated.  Experiments  must  first  he  made  along  the 
line  of  finding  whether  the  characteristic  in  question  is  a  dominant  or  unit 
character. 

N.  S.  Mayo,  of  Cuba,  spoke  briefly  of  that  country  as  a  field  for  the  breeding 
and  adaptation  of  animals. 

W.  M.  Hays.  In  the  recent  breeding  school  at  St.  Louis  Doctor  Cary,  of 
Alabama,  brought  out  the  fact  that  he  thought  it  might  be  possible  to  breed 
immunity  to  Texas  fever  in  the  southern  belt,  and  that  then  quarantine  methods 
might  he  used  to  gradually  push  the  tick  out  of  that  country.  Experiments 
have  also  l>een  suggested  along  the  line  of  breeding  for  at  least  comparative 
immunity  from  tuberculosis  in  cattle,  thus  lessening  tuberculosis  in  man  to 
some  extent ;  also  the  possibility  of  breeding  for  comparative  immunity  to  swine 
plague  in  hogs.  Some  of  the  smaller  animals  can  be  used,  no  doubt,  to  illus- 
trate whether  immunity  can  be  reached  by  this  method;  for  instance,  rabbits 
are  very  subject  to  tuberculosis  and  they  might  be  used  in  a  preliminary 
experiment.  Experiments  are  now  being  successfully  made  in  the  breeding  of 
plants  immune  to  disease.  Professor  Bolley  has  recently  produced  very 
pronounced  results  on  flax.  At  the  school  in  St.  Louis  Professor  Bolley  brought 
out  with  very  great  force  the  idea  that  if  you  want  to  breed  for  immunity  the 
disease  must  be  present  in  great  quantity.  Of  course  that  is  true  of  all  breeding. 
We  must  breed  as  nearly  as  we  can  under  the  extreme  conditions  we  wish  the 
final  product  to  withstand. 

The  committee  on  nominations  reported  as  follows: 

For  members  of  executive  committee,  W.  H.  Jordan,  of  New  York  :  C.  F. 
Curtiss,  of  Iowa ;  for  chairman  of  section,  H.  J.  Patterson,  of  Maryland  :  for 
secretary  of  section,  M.  A.  Scovell,  of  Kentucky;  for  additional  members  of 
committee  on  programme,  C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine,  J.  F.  Duggar,  of  Alabama. 

The  secretary  was  instructed  to  cast  the  ballot  of  the  section  in  favor  of  the 
persons  so  nominated. 


130 

Evening  Session,  Wednesday,  November  2,  1901. 

The  section  was  called  to  order  at  9.30  p.  in.  by  Chairman  Jenkins,  who 
announced  the  subject  for  discussion  to  be: 

How   Much  Teaching,  if  any,  is  it  Desirable  that  a  Station  Worker 

Should  no? 

H.  P.  Arm  shy,  of  Pennsylvania.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  the 
establishment  of  the  experiment  stations  and  with  the  very  natural  way  in 
which  they  were  manned  from  the  teaching  force  of  the  colleges,  the  time  of  the 
instructor  being  divided  between  the  college  and  the  station.  This  method  of 
procedure  was  very  natural  and  perhaps  unavoidable  at  that  time,  and  the 
practice  has  continued  up  to  the  present.  During  the  last  year  for  which 
statistics  have  been  published  by  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations  about 
54  per  cent  of  the  station  workers  did  more  or  less  teaching.  Of  course  such 
figures  are  somewhat  misleading  since  they  give  simply  the  number  of  indi- 
viduals without  reference  to  the  amount  of  work  done,  but  they  at  least  show 
that  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  the  workers  in  the  stations  are  also 
teachers.  The  proportion  of  course  varies  a  good  deal  in  the  different  stations. 
In  some  stations — one  or  two — all  members  of  the  force  are  stated  to  have 
more  or  less  teaching  work,  and  the  proportion  ranges  from  100  per  cent  in 
these  cases  down  to  a  minimum  of  about  5$  per  cent.  The  second  largest  is 
89  per  cent,  and  the  second  smallest  about  15$  per  cent. 

Moreover,  the  tendency  seems  to  be  toward  an  increase  in  the  number  of  the 
station  men  who  are  also  doing  teaching  work.  In  the  year  ended  June  30, 
1897 — the  earliest  for  which  I  could  readily  find  figures — the  percentage  of 
station  workers  who  were  also  teachers,  excluding  in  this  computation  the  in- 
dependent stations  of  Connecticut,  New  York,  Georgia,  and  Ohio,  was  49.3, 
and  for  succeeding  years  up  to  1903  the  figures  run  in  round  numbers  49,  50, 
50,  52,  52,  56,  and  54,  showing  quite  a  plain  tendency  toward  an  increase  in  the 
proportion  of  station  workers  who  teach. 

Most  of  you  will  probably  recall  the  address  of  Director  Jordan  at  the  New 
Haven  convention,  in  which  he  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  that  year  a 
very  large  proportion  of  the  heads  of  departments  in  stations  were  also  teachers, 
so  that  the  teaching  work  was  laid  upon  the  higher  officers  of  the  stations  rather 
than  upon  the  lower  grade  assistants.  I  think  that  would  probably  be  equally 
true — perhaps  more  true — now.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the  recent  growth 
of  instruction  in  agriculture — the  differentiation  of  agricultural  instruction — 
has  had  a  tendency  to  increase  the  demands  upon  the  station  specialist  for 
teaching. 

I  think  we  all  agree  that  it  is  an  important  question  of  station  administration 
as  to  how  far  this  tendency  is  wise  and  desirable.  Some,  for  whose  opinion 
upon  such  matters  I  have  the  very  highest  respect,  urge  very  strongly  that  it  is 
desirable,  in  most  cases,  at  least,  that  the  experiment  station  worker  shall  also 
be  a  teacher,  and  the  teacher  shall  also  be  an  investigator.  They  claim  that 
the  two  kinds  of  work  are  mutually  helpful  to  each  other.  I  am  not  clear  that 
I  agree  with  that  opinion,  however.  But  this  is  too  important  a  question  for  our 
opinions  or  convictions  to  be  settled  subjectively  by  our  own  v>ersonal  impressions, 
and  the  thought  that  was  really  in  my  mind  in  suggesting  this  topic  for  discus- 
sion was  whether  we  could  not  profitably  get  together  and  compare  our  views 
upon  it.  Of  course  the  figures  which  I  have  presented  are  merely  suggestive; 
they  probably  do  not  represent  quantitatively  the  situation,  because,  doubtless, 


131 

many  of  the  men  Included  In  tin*  estimate  bad  comparatively  little  teaching,  bol 
they  do  serve  to  suggest  the  Importance  of  the  question  and  the  need  for  com- 
paring views  upon  it. 

\v.  II.  Jordan,  of  New  York,  if  I  could  have  the  heads  of  the  departments  of 
the  New  York  State  Station  give  a  few  lectures  (from  ten  to  twenty)  a  year  I 
would  be  glad  to  have  them  do  it  as  a  means  of  clarifying  their  views,  looking 
up  literature,  and  that  sort  of  thing.  It  makes  a  difference  what  kind  of  teach- 
ing a  station  worker  does  as  to  whether  it  is  an  advantage  to  him  or  not.  The 
most  of  the  teaching  done  by  college  and  station  men  in  this  country  is  the 
teaching  of  fundamentals,  and  i  believe  it  is  nothing  hut  a  pleasant  fallacy  on 
the  part  of  those  who  wish  to  reenforce  their  teaching  staff  to  maintain  that 
teaching  the  fundamentals  and  the  drilling  of  classes  for  50  per  cent  of  the 
time  is  an  advantage  to  the  investigator.  I  do  not  helieve  any  such  thing.  1 
believe  in  the  differentiation  of  functions.  What  kind  of  a  man  do  you  want 
for  an  investigator'.'  A  man  ahsorhed  in  the  things  he  is  doing  and  who  shall 
not  he  turned  aside  and  wearied  by  having  to  drill  a  class  or  do  anything  else 
but  hunt  his  subject  and  the  truth.  You  know  that  teaching  has  to  he  done  at 
stated  times,  and  the  investigation  must  wait  till  the  convenient  day.  That  is 
exactly  what  happens  in  actual  practice.  My  answer  to  the  question  would 
therefore  be:  A  small  amount  of  teaching  of  an  advanced  character  along  the 
line  of  the  specialties  with  which  the  station  man  is  engaged  and  on  which  he 
is  thinking  is  all  right.  However,  very  much  of  teaching  which  we  necessarily 
do  in  our  agricultural  colleges  to-day  is  not  an  advantage,  but  a  disadvantage 
to  the  investigator. 

C.  D.  Smith,  of  Michigan.  I  do  not  object  so  much  to  a  subordinate  doing 
the  teaching  as  I  do  the  head  of  the  department,  for  the  reason  that  if  the  head 
of  a  department  of  the  station  has  also  the  management  of  a  large  teaching  de- 
partment of  the  college  he  can  no  longer  do  very  good  station  work.  The  dan- 
ger is,  as  experience  has  shown,  that  the  demauds  of  the  teaching  will  gradually 
encroach  upon  and  crowd  out  the  research  work.  The  investigator  should  be 
almost,  if  not  quite,  entirely  free  from  the  teaching  work.  My  experience  has 
led  me  to  believe  most  emphatically  that  we  are  not  going  to  get  the  results 
that  we  should  get  from  the  stations  until  this  is  done.  The  differentiation  be- 
tween the  teaching  and  investigation  must  be  complete. 

C.  D.  Woods,  of  Maine.  I  think  it  is  easy  for  us  to  see  the  way  we  have  come 
into  the  present  position.  When  the  stations  were  first  established  compara- 
tively few  skilled  men  were  obtainable.  The  stations  started  out  on  the  plan 
of  the  college,  with  a  great  many  departments  in  charge  of  young  men  who  had 
their  reputations  to  make.  The  result  has  been  that  we  very  materially  in- 
creased the  station  pay  roll  until  it  reached  a  point  where  it  was  impossible 
for  the  station  alone  to  keep  all  the  men  required  and  give  them  the  amount  of 
money  they  ought  to  have  or  could  get  elsewhere.  So  it  has  come  about  that 
this  division  of  men  between  the  station  and  the  college  has  perhaps  increased 
in  the  later  years.  With  a  small  increase  of  appropriation  for  the  station  it 
would  be  possible  to  solve  this  problem,  and  in  the  effort  to  do  this  I  think  we 
will  have  the  help  of  the  college  men. 

I  thoroughly  believe  that  a  station  man  ought  not  to  be  a  dual  man.  I  wish 
that  in  our  own  experiment  station  we  did  not  have  a  single  man  connected  with 
the  station  who  had  routine  instruction  to  do.  Advanced  instruction  a  few  hours 
in  the  course  of  the  year,  requiring  the  preparation  of  ten.  twelve,  or  twenty 
lectures  for  the  students,  would,  in  my  opinion,  he  helpful,  but  any  drudgery 
Of  teaching  for  a  station  officer  I  am  very  sure  is  a  detriment  to  the  station  work. 

C.  F.  Curtiss,  of  Iowa.  I  believe  that  the  stations  in  many  instances,  and 


132 

even,  I  will  say.  a  majority  of  instances,  are  approaching  u  better  basis  of  ad- 
justment of  tbe  work  between  the  college  and  the  station.  I  do  not  think  that 
we  can  readily  or  in  the  near  future  attain  a  position  where  we  can  entirely 
divorce  the  college  and  station  work  in  the  heads  of  departments.  I  believe  that 
t hi'  herd  of  the  department  ought  to  direct  the  investigation  work  along  his  line 
at  least  in  an  advisory  way.  even  though  he  does  not  devote  any  of  his  time  to 
the  details  of  that  work  or  to  the  management  of  it.  I  think  if  he  is  a  teacher 
and  giving  his  time  to  the  college  side  of  the  work  he  ought  to  give  enough  of 
his  time  to  the  station  work  to  direct  its  course. 

I  am  entirely  convinced  of  the  desirability  of  investigators  doing  investigat- 
ing  work  alone  or  exclusively,  so  largely  as  it  may  be  possible,  and  I  think  that 
the  tendency  generally  is  toward  a  better  adjustment.  In  our  own  station,  for 
instance,  we  have  now  established  the  work  of  two  departments  on  such  a  basis 
that  the  men  in  charge  of  the  station  work  give  no  instruction  except  to  grad- 
uate students.  These  men  will  devote  their  time  exclusively  to  the  research  and 
experiment  station  work,  except  in  case  of  graduate  students  that  may  elect  to 
take  work  in  that  department.  In  other  departments  we  have  an  arrangement 
by  which  the  head  of  the  department  is  considered  and  regarded  as  primarily  a 
college  man,  and  receives  the  greater  part — practically  all — of  his  salary  from 
the  college,  and  has  assistants  who  receive  their  salary  altogether  from  the 
station,  devoting  their  tirna  altogether  to  station  work.  I  think,  as  was  sug- 
gested by  Director  Woods,  that  when  the  stations  have  more  means  to  devote 
to  this  work  they  will  be  able  to  employ  men  exclusively  for  research  work,  and 
those  men  will  of  course  be  under  the  direction  of  the  head  of  the  department. 
So  that  gradually,  as  we  enlarge  our  work  and  as  we  are  able  to  provide  better 
facilities  for  it,  we  are  arriving  at  a  better  basis,  although  there  is  still  very 
much  to  be  done  in  the  adjustment  of  work. 

X.  S.  Mayo.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  subject  has  been  treated  so  far 
entirely  from  the  standpoint  of  the  station  investigator  pure  and  simple.  There 
is  a  phase  of  the  work  that  I  have  found  of  an  advantage  in  dealing  with  the 
more  elementary  students  in  classes,  and  that  is  the  training  which  it  gives 
to  the  worker  in  bringing  his  scientific  work  to  the  level  of  the  common  man, 
and  I  believe  this  is  an  important  training.  A  good  portion  of  our  work  is  for 
the  common  farmer,  and  it  is  important  that  we  should  bring  it  to  his  level,  and 
I  believe  that  in  bringing  our  work  to  the  elementary  classes  we  do  get  a 
valuable  training  along  that  line.  The  greatest  obstacle  that  I  have  found  in 
teaching  is  the  amount  of  energy  which  it  necessarily  requires.  Two  or  three 
hours  of  teaching  as  it  ought  to  be  done  detracts  very  materially  from  the 
energy  a  man  can  put  into  his  investigation  work. 

L.  G.  Carpenter,  of  Colorado.  I  suppose  we  can  all  imagine  the  ideal  condi- 
tion, but  I  presume  none  of  us  has  yet  attained  it.  We  nearly  all  suffer  from 
limitations,  both  from  place  and  finances.  I  am  not  at  all  sure,  however,  that 
the  stations  as  a  whole  have  suffered  by  the  connection  with  the  colleges.  If 
we  look  at  the  work  of  an  individual  we  may  see  in  a  great  many  cases  that  he 
could  do  more  and  perhaps  better  work  if  he  were  disassociated  from  teaching. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  have  an  aggregate  to  consider  in  some  cases.  I  know 
that  in  some  of  the  stations,  as  in  the  one  with  which  I  am  connected,  the  aid 
from  the  colleges  has  been  material  and  liberal,  and  has  made  possible  the  main- 
tenance of  a  large  number  of  departments  that  are  giving  more  or  less  attention 
to  investigation.  There  are  undoubtedly  some  disadvantages  in  connection 
with  the  teaching.  One  of  the  greatest  is.  I  think,  the  fact  that  the  investiga- 
tion has  to  give  way  to  routine  hours ;  investigation  does  not  come  at  regular 
times.  A  person  can  not  do  the  highest  kind  of  work  for  many  hours  a  day. 
To  do  productive  and  creative  work,  which  is  the  best  part  of  his  work  as  an 


133  • 

investigator,  a  person  must  devote  himself  to  it  for  only  a  short  time  and  when 
be  la  in  the  freshest  condition.  Almost  any  kind  of  routine  work  <i><>s  Interfere 
with  that,  and  t<>  some  extent  teaching  will  so  interfere,  certainly  If  carried  on 
to  any  great  extent,  it  Interferes  with  the  continuity  of  thought,  and  the  hours 
of  teaching  may  Interfere  even  with  the  whole  day's  work  by  the  breaking  up 
of  the  lines  of  thought  or  the  continuity  of  Investigation,  outside  of  that  i  am 
not  at  all  sure  that  the  teaching  does  not  have  a  good  many  advantages. 

I  am  Inclined  to  believe  that  the  Investigator  should  do  loss  teaching,  but  that 
the  teaching  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  Investigation  staff  rather  than 
the  reverse.  I  am  at  present  far  from  believing  that  it  is  wise  to  separate 
college  and  station,  if  it  were  possible.     I  do  not  believe  that  a  staff  worker 

OUght    to   do    much    teaching,   hilt   as   to    whether    the    teaching   he   does    should    ho 

that  given  to  the  higher  students  or  to  elementary  students  I  am  not  quite  clear, 
although  I  recognize  the  force  of  what  has  been  said  about  the  advantages  of 

the  instruction  of  the  higher  classes.  The  station  workers  should  have  a  train- 
ing which  will  enable  them  to  express  the  results  of  their  Investigations  in  a 
clear  way  to  the  public.  I  am  fully  aware  that  there  are  a  great  many  exceed- 
ingly valuable  investigators  who  do  not  have  that  faculty  and  do  not  care  to 
go  before  the  public  in  any  capacity.  We  recognize  their  value,  and  a  great 
many  times  it  is  best  to  recognize  that  peculiarity  of  their  make-up  and  allow 
them  to  confine  themselves  to  investigation.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  a 
great  many  men  who  can  do  both,  and  probably  the  majority  have  to  some 
extent  the  willingness  and  the  ability  to  do  both.  To  those  people  who  do  not 
have  that  particular  trend,  the  dealing  with  elementary  students  or  the 
attempt  to  put  the  subject  in  an  elementary  way,  it  seems  to  me,  is  a  very 
valuable  training,  but  ought  to  be  done  with  limitations. 

F.  B.  Mum  ford,  of  Missouri.  It  seems  to  me  it  has  been  clearly  demonstrated 
by  several  of  the  speakers  that  it  depends  a  good  deal  on  the  viewpoint  from 
which  we  consider  this  question.  The  University  of  Missouri  may  be  differently 
situated  from  some  of  the  colleges  and  stations  referred  to,  but  so  far  as  we  are 
concerned  we  find  it  to  the  advantage  of  the  station  from  almost  every  stand- 
point that  the  teachers  who  are  there  engaged  are  not  only  permitted  but 
required  to  devote  some  of  their  time  to  station  work.  Let  me  give  a  concrete 
illustration.  The  university  has  in  the  course  of  its  search  for  men  in  the 
departments  secured  a  man  who  is  eminent  for  his  research  work,  in  a  given 
line,  and  that  line  of  work  happens  to  be  closely  associated  with  agricultural 
college  and  station  work.  His  salary  is  paid  entirely  by  the  university,  and 
he  has  from  his  own  choice  and  by  the  permission  of  the  university  devoted  con- 
siderable time  to  research  for  the  station,  the  station  paying  the  expenses  of  the 
investigation.  I  suppose  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  station  ever  to  be 
able  to  secure  the  services  of  such  a  man  were  they  compelled  to  pay  him  his 
entire  salary,  but  working  in  this  way  we  are  able  to  secure  the  advantages  of 
his  investigation.  There  are  a  number  of  men  of  this  kind  in  our  institution 
who  are  working  in  the  same  way. 

J.  L.  Hills,  of  Vermont.  In  the  smaller  institutions,  where  funds  are  com- 
paratively limited,  the  dual  duty  must  needs  be  met.  I  think  you  will  pardon 
me  if  I  tell  you  how  at  the  University  of  Vermont  we  have  endeavored  to  meet 
these  conditions. 

In  my  own  case  I  try  for  what  we  term  our  first  half  year  to  lay  almost  all 
the  stress  upon  college  work.  I  have  arranged  with  my  associates  in  the  fac- 
ulty for  several  of  them  to  lay  almost  all  their  teaching  stress  on  the  second  half 
year.  From  October  1  to  February  1.  except  for  the  routine  of  work  which  must 
be  done,  I  put  my  energies  just  so  far  as  I  can  into  college  work.  After  Feb- 
ruary  1    I    devote  my   energies  to   the   administration   of   the  station   and   to 


134 

experimental  work.  On  the  other  hand,  other  of  the  instructors  in  our  faculty 
beginning  with  the  second  half  of  the  year  lay  particular  stress  on  the  college 
work,  and  in  that  way  we  are  enabled  to  do,  perhaps,  rather  more  justice  to  the 
dual  duties  than  in  any  other  way.  I  do  not  think  tins  method  is  applicable  t  > 
all  institutions,  but  it  has  worked  fairly  well  with  u<. 

\Y.  L.  Carlyle,  of  Colorado.  I  think  we  are  all  agreed  that  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  investigator  too  much  teaching  is  not  advisable,  but  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  teacher  some  station  work  is  certainly  advisable,  particularly 
in  the  more  industrial  parts  of  our  agricultural  work.  The  man  who  is  going  to 
do  effective  teaching  for  a  period  of  years  in  animal  husbandry,  for  example, 
must  be  an  investigator.  If  we  take  the  investigation  work  away  from  our 
teachers  we  are  going  to  greatly  lessen  the  effectiveness  of  the  teaching.  It 
seems  to  me  this  is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  amount  of  investigation  as  of 
subjects.  Certain  subjects  require  practically  all  of  a  man's  time  and  atten- 
tion in  the  investigational  work  ;  others  are  not  so  exacting,  and  those  are  per- 
haps  the  ones  which  require  a  certain  amount  of  investigational  work  to  make 
the  teaching  the  more  effective.  Speaking  from  the  standpoint  of  one  who  has 
to  investigate  and  teach  at  the  same  time,  I  think  it  would  be  a  misfortune,  in 
some  of  the  subjects  particularly,  if  the  station  work  and  the  teaching  should  be 
divorced. 

H.  P.  Armsby,  of  Pennsylvania.  I  think  we  all  recognize  the  fact  that  we 
can  not  at  once  adopt  any  uniform  arrangement  in  this  matter.  But  I  take 
it  what  we  need  especially  to  consider  at  the  present  time  is  not  so  much 
the  question  of  practicability  as  the  question  of  ideals.  It  is  a  question  of 
the  attitude  of  mind  of  the  authorities  of  these  institutions  toward  this 
question ;  it  is  a  question  of  the  ultimate  ideal  that  they  will  set  before  them- 
selves to  attain,  and  if  that  ideal  is  not  any  higher  than  that  already  reached 
we  shall  not  make  much  progress.  Personally  I  believe  it  is  just  as  true 
now  as  it  was  two  thousand  years  ago  that  no  man  can  serve  two  masters. 
I  believe  that  in  this  agricultural  work  a  man  should  be  chiefly  either  one 
thing  or  the  other.  I  will  not  say  that  he  should  be  exclusively  either  a  teacher 
or  an  investigator,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  two  kinds  of  work  call  for  a 
different  attitude  of  mind  and  the  use  of  a  different  set  of  faculties,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  and  that  except  in  the  case  of  unusually  gifted  men  the  same 
individual  is  not  likely  to  have  both  equally  developed.  I  feel  that  an  inves- 
tigator and  station  worker  should  have  his  mind  focused  on  his  work  of 
investigation.  On  the  other  hand,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  teacher's  thought 
should  be  pedagogical  largely  ;  it  should  be  that  side  of  his  mind  that  is  par- 
ticularly active.  I  will  admit  that  a  certain  amount  of  teaching  may  be  advan1 
tageous  to  station  work,  but  an  uncertain  amount  is  not.  I  think  that  some 
teaching,  especially  more  or  less  advanced  teaching,  is  a  good  thing,  as  has  been 
said  repeatedly.  Possibly  it  need  not  even  be  the  most  advanced  teaching.  I 
do  not  think,  however,  that  a  station  worker,  even  though  he  does  some  teach- 
ing, should  have  loaded  upon  him  the  responsibility  for  the  administration  of 
the  teaching  work  of  the  college,  or  any  considerable  amount  of  it.  I  think  he 
should  simply  go  into  his  class  room  and  give  his  lectures  or  his  instruction, 
and  be  done  with  it. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  teacher  may  very  well  do  more 
or  less  investigational  work,  according  to  his  taste  and  capacity.  I  would  not 
for  a  moment  cut  him  off  from  that,  but  I  believe  he  should  be  thinking  chiefly 
of  his  teaching  and  should  make  his  work  of  investigation  his  avocation  rather 
than  his  vocation. 

I  repeat  that  this  is  a  question  of  ideals  rather  than  of  immediate  adjust- 
ment.    It  is  not  a  question  of  division  of  salaries.     I   think  we  may  assume 


135 

thai  that  question  has  been  pretty  well  worked  out,  and  thai  bo  far  as  the  mere 
question  of  adjustmenl  of  time  is  concerned  the  .-  *  1 1  *  - 1 1 1 1 » t  has  been  to  establish 
equity  as  between  the  college  and  tin1  station;  but  I  believe  it  is  also  true  thai 
in  this  matter  two  ami  two  do  not  always  make  four.  I  am  very  sure  that  two 
half  men  arc  not  anywhere  Dear  equal  to  one  whole  man.  and.  going  still  fur- 
ther. I  think  that  four  quarter  men  ate  worth  very  little. 

I  am  very  much  gratified  at  the  interest  which  has  been  manifested  and  the 
spirit    in   which   this  subject    has  been   discussed.      I    believe   it    is  a    live   subject. 

I  believe  that  it  is  imperative  now.  if  this  experiment-station  enterprise  is  to 

reach  large  success,  that  there  should  he  a  reform;  that  the  tendency  should  he 
in  the  other  direction  from  what  it  now  appears  to  be;  that  the  sentiment  and 
policy  of  these  institutions  should  he,  as  rapidly  as  conditions  w  ill  allow,  to  dif- 
ferentiate hetween  the  station  and  the  school  or  college  of  agriculture,  and  to 
have  just  what  the  Hatch  Act  calls  for — a  department  of  the  college  devoted  to 
research.  We  should  work  toward  that  just  as  fast  as  we  can  if  we  desire  this 
experiment-station  enterprise  to  succeed,  and  I  helieve  it  is  especially  timely  to 
consider  this  now.  in  ^  iew  of  the  hope  that  we  have  of  an  increase  in  the  sta- 
tion funds.  If  that  conies,  I  helieve  the  directors  all  over  the  country  should 
know  that  their  colleagues  will  support  them  in  an  endeavor  to  secure  a  more 
clean-cut  organization  of  the  experiment  stations  as  distinct  departments  of 
research. 

W.  J.  Fraser,  of  Illinois.  It  seems  to  me  it  is  of  greater  importance  to  have 
the  subdivision  of  the  Subject  more  minute  than  it  is.  to  decide  as  to  whether 
a  man  is  going  to  devote  the  most  of  his  time  to  experiment-station  or  to  col- 
lege work.  In  the  dairy  department  of  the  University  of  Illinois  there  are  two 
of  us  that  are  giving  all  of  our  time  to  dairy  cattle^ — one  to  the  subject  of  milk 
and  another  to  the  suhject  of  hutter.  In  the  animal  husbandry  department  one 
man  devotes  all  of  his  time  to  swine,  and  I  think  he  has  done  hetter  work  the 
past  year  than  if  he  were  working  either  in  the  college  or  station  in  the  whole 
suhject  of  animal  husbandry.  It  seems  to  me  that  one  of  the  best  ways  out  of 
the  difficulty  is  to  divide  the  subjects  more  minutely  and  have  a  man  get  nearer 
to  the  bottom  of  bis  subject,  both  in  the  station  and  the  college.  I  will  say. 
however,  that  the  beads  of  departments  in  our  institution  do  very  little  teach- 
ing, but  spend  most  of  their  time  in  investigation  work. 

F.  B.  Linfield,  of  Montana.  There  has  been  within  the  past  few  years  a 
very  great  increase  in  the  number  of  men  employed  in  the  agricultural  colleges 
and  experiment  stations,  and  I  believe  that  there  are  more  men  who  are  devot- 
ing their  whole  time  to  investigation  at  the  present  time  than  ever  before.  The 
tendency  seems  to  be  in  the  right  direction.  Without  a  certain  amount  of  help 
from  the  station  it  is  probable  that  in  a  great  many  cases  the  college  would  have 
to  cut  off  some  of  its  departments  ;  at  the  same  time,  without  some  help  from 
the  other  side,  it  is  probable  that  that  station  would  have  to  cut  off  several  of 
its  departments.  Some  will  say  that  is  advisable.  There  are  conditions,  how- 
ever, in  which  that  would  not  be  advisable,  and  the  college  and  station  may  he 
mutually  helpful.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  an  investigator  to  do  a  little  teaching; 
that  has  been  conceded.  I  think  there  is  a  great  deal  in  the  thought  that  a  good 
teacher  must  be  an  investigator,  whether  he  does  the  work  under  the  direction 
of  an  experiment  station  or  in  some  other  way.  How  is  the  teacher  or  the 
investigator  to  do  the  best  work  in  this  dual  capacity?  The  plan  which  I  have 
thought  about  is  the  one  suggested  by  Director  Hills.  In  this  division  of  the 
agricultural  field,  which  at  present  is  going  on  so  rapidly,  such  a  division  of 
labor  from  one  part  of  the  year  to  another  is  a  very  easy  possibility. 

H.  P.  Armsby.  I  have  hastily  computed  the  relative  increase  in  the  teachers 
and  the  nonteachers  on  the  station  force,  as  shown  by  the  official  statistics  of 


136 

the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations.  From  1897  to  1003  there  was  an  Increase 
in  the  Donteachers  of  9  per  cent  and  in  the  teachers  of  32  per  cent. 

II.  J.  Wheeler,  of  Rhode  island  Ir  seems  to  me  there  is  perhaps  some  con- 
fusion in  the  minds  of  those  who  have  spoken  as  to  what  is  strictly  investiga- 
tion. If  a  man  plants  some  potatoes  and  ohserves  their  form  and  shape  and 
writes  op  the  result,  he  can  perhaps  do  some  teaching  and  do  that  sort  of  work. 
too;  but  if  he  has  to  deal  with  some  difficult  problem,  which  requires  him  to 
make  an  exhaustive  search  of  the  literature  of  the  subject,  to  conduct  investi- 
gations which  perhaps  run  over  five  or  six  years,  and  to  thoroughly  digest  the 
results,  he  can  not  do  it  to  good  advantage  if  during  that  time  he  is  obliged  to 
go  Into  the  class  room  and  teach  at  irregular  hours.  There  may  be  some  so- 
called  investigation  work  which  can  be  combined  with  teaching  without  very 
much  loss. 

I  know  of  no  better  practice  that  a  man  can  get  than  by  going  out  to  a 
farmers'  institute,  and  I  think  it  is  a  very  good  thing  for  the  station  worker  to 
get  out  and  lecture  half  a  dozen  times  a  year.  I  believe,  moreover,  that  it  is  a 
good  thing  for  a  man  to  present  the  advanced  work  that  he  is  doing  to  students. 
I  think,  however,  that  the  student  derives  a  great  deal  more  from  it  than  the 
investigator  does,  because  there  is  no  man  who  can  lead  a  student  right  up  to 
the  border  between  the  known  and  unknown  as  the  investigator  can.  I  have 
never  seen  a  man  devoting  more  than  half  of  his  time  to  teaching  who  has  done 
work  which  was  fully  satisfactory  to  the  experiment  station.  There  may  be 
extreme  instances  in  which  a  man  has  been  able  to  do  it. 

I  have  repeatedly  heard  it  said  that  the  German  investigators,  who  are  the 
greatest  in  the  world,  do  a  large  amount  of  teachiug.  but  the  German  professors 
who  have  won  the  greatest  distinction  are  not  teachers,  but  investigators  who 
have  done  very  little  teaching.  So.  if  there  is  anything  in  example  and  prece- 
dent to  be  won  from  the  best  scientific  minds  in  the  world,  it  is  along  that  line. 
It  is  not  the  man  who  spends  three-fourths  of  his  time,  or  six  or  seven  hours  a 
week  right  along,  in  teaching  who  can  be  expected  to  win  a  reputation  as  an 
investigator. 

H.  P.  Aemsby.  The  German  professor,  moreover,  does  not  have  to  teach  unless 
he  wishes  to. 

Upon  motion  the  section  adjourned. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


Agee,  a..  9. 

Allen,  E.  W..  10,  70. 

Andrews,  E.  B.,  9. 

Armaby,  II.  P.,  8,  9,  19,  29,  43,  65,  118,  130, 

134,  135,  136. 
Atherton,  G.  W.,  8,  32. 
Aulmann,  R.  <"..  0. 
Ayres,  B.,  10. 
Babcock,  K.  C,  9,  88. 
Bailey,   L.   H.,  7,  0,  03,  60,  00,  85,  86,  OS, 

105,  106,  111!.  114,  115. 
Baker,  II.  P.,  0. 
Beach,  C.  L.,  0. 
Bishop,  E.  A.,  10. 
Bissell,  G.  W.,  9. 
Bowska,  F.  W.,  9. 
Brown,  E.,  8,  31. 

Bryan,  E.  A.,  8,  10,  20,  62,  66,  87,  00. 
Buchanan,  R.  E.,  9. 
Buckham,  M.  H.,  S,  91. 
Buffum,  B.  C,  10,  117. 
Burkett,  C.  W..  0. 
Burnett,  E.  A.,  9,  98. 
Butterfleld,  K.  L.,  7,  10,  56,  64,  66.  100. 
Card,  F.W.,  8,  10,  31. 
Carlyle,  W.  L.,  9,  134. 
Carpenter,  L.  G.,  8,  9,  132. 
Carstensen,  A.  N.,  9. 
Chalmers,  J.,  10,  15. 
Chambliss,  C.  E.,  10. 
Christie,  G.  I.,  9. 
Clark,  J.  A.,  7,  33. 
Cope,  A.,  8. 
Cox,  W.  V.,  10,  15. 
Crosthwait,  G.  A.,  9. 
Curtiss,  C.  F.,  7,  8,  9,  66,  69,  77,  114.  115, 

124,  129,  131. 
Davenport,  E.,  7,  9.  33,  64,  66,  86,  89,  111, 

112,  113,  115,  116. 
Davidson,  R.  J.,  117. 
Dinsraore,  W.,  9. 
Dixon,  C.  O.,  9. 

Duggar,  J.  F.,  7,  8,  9,  56,  66.  129. 
Ellis,  C.  E.,  9. 
Erwin,  A.  T.,  9. 
Fellows,  G.  E.,  9,  28,  91,  106. 
Fields,  J.,  9. 
Finney,  R.  G.,  9. 
Fisher,  R.  W.,  9. 
Fortier,  S.,  8. 
Foster,  L..  9. 
Foster,  Mrs.  L.,  9. 


Frandsen,  P.,  9. 

Eraser,  W.  J.,  9,  135. 

Frear,  W.,  8. 

French,  II.  T..  8,  !>.  43,  56,  118. 

Galloway,  B.  T.,  8. 

Gammon,  B.  O.,  9. 

Cammon,  W.,  9. 

Garcia,  F.,  9. 

(Jay.  C.  W.,  9. 

Gibbs,  W.  D.,  9. 

Goodell,  H.  H.,  8. 

Hamilton,  J.  M.,  9. 

Hansen,  N.  E..  119. 

Hardy.  J.  C.  7.  9.  33,  05,  00,  100. 

Harter,  G.  A.,  0,  101. 

Hays,   W.   M.,   7,   8,  9,   32,   33,   08,   09,    112, 

117,  123,  129. 
Hays,  Mrs.  W.  M.,  9. 
Hayward.  II..  9,  15. 
Hedgcock.  G.  G.,  9,  15. 

Henry,  W.  A.,  8,  10,  43,  04,  05,  OS,  S3,  113, 

118. 
Herff,  B.  von,  9. 
Hills,  J.  L.,  7,  10,  20,  00,  133. 
Holden,  P.  G.,  9. 
Hooper,  J.  J.,  9. 

Hopkins,  C.  G.,  9,  30,  117,  118,  123,  124. 
Hunt,  T.  F.,  7,  S,  50,  09. 
Hunt,  T.  S.,  9. 
James,  E.  J.,  9. 

Jenkins,  E.  H.,  8,  9,  29,  31,  110,  130. 
Jesse,  R.  H.,  8,  9,  84,  S7. 
Jones,  J.  W.,  9. 
Jordan,  W.  H.,  7,  8,  9,  25,  27.  62,  66,   110. 

118,  129,  131. 
Kaufman,  E.  E.,  9. 
Keffer,  C.  A.,  10,  118. 
Keyser.  A..  It. 
Kimbrough,  J.  M.,  9. 
Klinck,  L.  S.,  9. 
Knapp,  G.  N.,  10. 
Knisely,  A.  L..  9. 
Lazenby,  W.  R.,  8,  31. 
Liggett,  W.  M..  9,  66. 
Liggett,  Mrs.  W.  M.,  9. 
Linfield,  F.  B.,  9,  135. 
Little,  E.  E.,  9. 

Lyon,  T.  L.,  9,  119,  124. 
MacLean,  G.  E.,  28. 
MacLean,  J.  A.,  9. 
Mayo.  N.  S.,  10,  15.  129,  132. 
McClintock,  J.  E.,  9. 


(137) 


138 


McKay.  G.  I...  9. 
McNeil.   .1.    II..   !>. 

Mead,  i:..  s.  i<>. 

Well,  l'.  H..  I". 

Merritt,  M.  L.,  *•>. 

Miller,  M.  F.,  9. 

Mumford,  F.  B.,  9,  133. 

Neale,  a.  T.,  8,  9.  117. 

Nichols,  E.  Ii..  7.  !»,  GO.  95,  10G. 

Nichols.  Mrs.  E.  R.,  '.». 

Nickols,  B.  «'..  '•'. 

Owens,  .1.  R.,  '.». 

Pammel,  L.  B.,  0,  116,  lis. 

Patterson,  II.  J.,  7.  8,  9.  65,  117.  129. 

Patterson,  J.  K.,  8,  9,  64,  03,  GG,  99,  100. 

Patterson,  Mrs.  J.  K.,  9. 

Trice.  H.  C,  9. 

Redding,  R.  J.,  9.  US. 

Beynolds,  M.  II.,  9. 

Bueda,  R.,  9. 

Rutherford,  W.  J.,  9. 

Sandsten.  E.  P.,  10. 

Saunders,  W.,  10,  69,  123. 

Scott,  A.,  9,  90,  98. 

Scott,  A.  C,  9,  87. 

Scovell,  M.  A.,  7,  8,  9,  29,  65,  66,  67,  123, 

129. 
Shamel.  A.  D.,  8,  31. 
Smith.  C.  D.,  9,  118,  131. 
Suyder,  H.,  9,  117.  121.  124. 
Snyder.  J.  L.,  7,  9,  66,  106,  114,  115. 
Stevens,  F.  L.,  9,  116. 
Stevenson,  W.  H.,  9. 
Stimson,  R.  W.,  7,  9,  66,  82,  98,  106. 
Stone,   W.  E.,  8,  9,  65,  66,  68,  77,  79,  91, 

106. 
Storms.  A.  B.,  9,  104. 
Stubbs.  J.  E.,  8. 


Summers,  H.  E.,  9.  129. 

Tliacb.  C.  C,  9.  95.  98,  1  <»."». 

Thompson,   W.  <).,  8.  9,   15,  33,  04,  79,  90, 

99,  100,  106. 
Thorpe,  C.  E„  9,  11",  122. 
Tlnsley,  .1.  l»..  !•. 
Tisdell,  F.  M.,  10,  08. 
True,  A.  C,  7,  8,  20,  33,  50,  66. 
True,  G.  H.,  9. 
True.  Mrs.  G.  H.,  9. 
Tyler,  H.  W.,  8. 
Van  Es,  L.,  9. 

Van  Hise,  C.  R.,  10,  63,  98. 
Vivian.  A.,  9. 

Voorhees,  E.  B.,  7,  9,  20.  66. 
Waters,  H.  J.,  8,  10. 
Watkins,  L.  W.,  9,  15. 
Watkins,  Mrs.  L.  W.,  9. 
Webber,  H.  J.,  8,  G9. 
Wells,  C,  9. 
Wessels,  P.  H.,  9. 
West,  F.  L.,  9. 

Wheeler,  H.  J.,  8,  28,  29,  30,  66,  117,  136. 
White,  F.  S.,  9. 
White,  H.  C,  7,  8,  9,  15,  19,  32,  42,  64,  66, 

77,  88,  104,  106. 
White,  Mrs.  H.  C,  9. 
AVhitson,  A.  R.,  8. 
Widtsoe,  J.  A.,  10. 
Willcox,  O.  W..  9. 
Williams,  W.,  9. 
Wilson,  J.  W.,  10. 
Wing,  H.  H.,  8,  56. 
Withers,  W.  A.,  8. 
Woods,  C.  D.,  7,  8,  9,  29,  66,  77.   117.   129. 

131. 
Worst,  J.  H.,  9,  66. 
Zintheo,  C.  J.,  9. 


O 


THE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS. 


Al   M:\MA — 

College    station:    Auburn;   J.    F. 

Duggnr.o 
Canebrake    station:     Uniontoumj 

J.  M.  Richeson.B 
Tuskegee    station:    Tuskegec;    G. 
W.  Carver." 
Alaska — Sitka:  C.  C.  Georgeson.s 
Arizona — Tucson :  R.   II.   Fori 
Arkansas — Faycttcvilte:    W.    G.    Vin- 

cenheller.fl 
California — Berkeley:    E.     W.      Ilil- 
gard.a 

rado — For<    ('oilin*:     L.    G.    Car- 
pent 

I  l  TIC  IT — 

State  Station:   W/r  Haven;  E.  H. 

.Tonkins." 
Storrs  Station:  Starrs;  L.  A.  Clin- 
ton, a 
Pklawake — Newark:  Ai  T.  Neale.a 
Florida — La fce  c/7//:  Andrew  Sledd." 
Qeorgia — Experiment:  R.  J.  Redding." 
Hawaii — 

Federal   Station:  Honolulu;  J.   G. 

Smith.'' 
Sugar    Planters'    Station :     Hono- 
lulu; C.  F.  Fckart." 
Idaho — M oscoio:  II.  T.  French.** 
Illinois — Urbana:  E.  Davenport.« 
Indiana — Lafayette:  A.  Goss.a 
Iowa—  1///'  s;  ( '.  F.  Curtiss." 

3as— Manhattan:  J.  T.  Willard.o 
Kentucky — Lexington:  M.  A.  Seovell." 
Louisiana — 

Stat.'  Station:  Baton  Rouge. 
Sugar     Station:     Audubon     Park, 

New  Orleans. 
North     Louisiana      Station:     Cal- 
houn :  W.  R.  Dodson." 
Maine — Orono:  C.  D.  Woods." 
Maryland — College   Pari::  II.   J.   Pat- 
tersons 
Massachusetts  —  Amherst:      II.      H. 

Goodell.a 
Michigan — Agricultural  College:  < '.  I>. 

Smith." 
Minnesota — St.     Anthony     Park.     st. 
Paul:  W.  M.  Liggett." 

Director.  ^Assistant  director. 


1). 


B. 


Fos- 


II. 


Mississippi — Agricultural  College:  w. 

L.  Ilntohinson." 
Missouri  - 

College  station:  Columbia;  F.  P.. 

Mnmfonl.'' 
Fruit    Station:     Mountain   Qrove; 
P.  Fvans." 
Montana  —  Bozeman:  F.   B.    Linfield." 
Nebraska — Lincoln:  F.  a.  Burnett* 
Nevada — Reno:  .1.  E.  stnhhs." 
New      Hampshire — Durham:     W. 

Glbbs.o 
New   Jersey — New   Brunswick:  1 

Yoorheos." 
NEW    Mexico — Uesilla    Park:    L. 

ter." 
New  York — 

State    Station:     Geneva;     \V 

Jordan." 
Cornell > Station :     Ithaca;    L.    II. 
Bailey." 
North  Carolina — Raleigh:  B.  W.  Kil- 

gore." 
North  Dakota — Agricultural  College: 

J.  II.  Worst." 
Ohio — Wooster:  C.  F.  Thorne." 
Oklahoma — Stillwater:  J.  Fields." 
Oregon — Corvallis:  J.   Withycombe." 
Pennsylvania — State   College:   H.   P. 

Armshy." 
Porto  Rico — Mayayucz:  D.  W.   May.« 
Rhode      Island  —  Kingston:    II.      J. 

Wheeler." 
South   Carolina  —  Clemson   College: 

P.  II.  Mell." 
South  Dakota — Brookings:  J.  W.  Wil- 
son." 
Tennessee — Knoxvilte:  II.  A.  Morgan." 
Texas  —  College      station:     John      A. 

Craig." 
Utah — Logan:  J.  A.  Widtsoe." 
Vermont — Burlington:  J.  L.  Hills." 
Virginia — Blacksourg:  A.   M.  Sonle." 
Washington — Pullman:  F.  A.  Bryan." 
West    Virginia — Morgantown,:   J.    II. 

Stewart." 
Wisconsin — Madisdn:  w.  A.  Henry." 
Wyoming — Laramie:  B.  C.  Buffum." 


Special  agent  in  charge. 


Acting  director. 


